Patent Office (Hansard, 19 June 1995)

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of potential(a) conflicts of interest and (b) breaches of confidentiality in respect of the contractorising of functions of the Patent Office. [28684]

§ Mr. Ian Taylor
The Patent Office is looking at the potential for contractorisation where that is compatible with its statutory role and good value for money. Issues such as possible conflicts of interest and risks to confidentiality are considered when areas which might in principle be handled by the private sector are assessed and, if appropriate, will he addressed when detailed specifications are drawn up.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if all areas within the Patent Office apart from the core functions will be considered for contractorisation; and if he will make a statement. [28688]

§ Mr. Ian Taylor
As my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade stated in his announcement of 14 December 1994,Official Report, columns 657–58 about the Patent Office review, the Patent Office will be encouraged to contract out activities wherever this is compatible with its statutory role and good value for money.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many representations he has received during the last six months on the question of the contractorisation of the Patent Office; of those, how many were(a) in favour and (b) against the proposals; and if he will make a statement. [28682]

§ Mr. Ian Taylor
Since my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade announced the outcome of the Patent Office review on 14 December,Official Report, columns 657–58, he has received 11 letters specifically referring to the contractorisation of Patent Office functions. Of these, three asked for information about the process of contractorisation, and eight covered correspondence from the Patent Office trade unions expressing their concerns.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the President of the Board of Trade, how many members of staff are currently employed in the registration of trademark section of the Patent Office; what was the figure for 1991; and if he will make a statement. [28686]

§ Mr. Ian Taylor
A total of 237 Patent Office members of staff are currently engaged in the administration of trademarks. The equivalent figure in June 1991 was 308.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many members of staff were employed in the core functions of the Patent Office in 1990; and if he will make a statement. [28681]

§ Mr. Ian Taylor
In June 1990 the Patent Office employed 1,134 staff. The number of staff in branches which award intellectual property rights under statutory powers was 851.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many members of staff are currently employed in the core function activities of the Patent Office. [28685]
66W

§ Mr. Ian Taylor
In June 1995 the Patent Office employs 954 staff. The number of staff in branches which award intellectual property rights under statutory powers is 673.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what factors precluded the staff at the Patent Office from eligibility to form an in-house bid; and if he will make a statement. [28689]

§ Mr. Ian Taylor
Since bids for contracted-out services will be assessed against benchmarks for the forecast cost and quality of service from in-house provision, staff already have the opportunity to prove that they can match or beat the private sector if the services remain in-house. Additionally, staff may choose to enter a bid on the same basis as the private sector, with the corollary that they will cease to be civil servants if their bids is successful.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many members of staff are employed in the patents and deigns section of the Patent Office; what was the figure for 1992; and if he will make a statement. [28687]

§ Mr. Ian Taylor
A total of 436 Patent Office members of staff are currently engaged in the administration of patents and designs. The equivalent figure in June 1992 was 474.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the private consultants engaged in respect of the Patent Office; what are their precise terms of reference and their agreed remuneration for carrying out those functions; and if he will make a statement. [28683]

§ Mr. Ian Taylor
Three firms of private sector consultants are currently engaged by the Patent Office.
Apex Planning and Design is advising the office on accommodation issues, and in particular on means to accommodate within the principal building—Concept house—staff currently housed at two smaller locations.
Marketing Improvements plc has been retained to explore market potential for Patent Office services, focusing on demand for non-statutory serves such as commercial searches and technical advice, and means of realising it. Coopers and Lybrand has been retained to advise on the feasibility of contracting out the Patent Office's front office in London, which receives, logs and forwards incoming mail, and the terms on which such contractorisation might take place. In neither case have specifications to tender for the work involved yet been drawn up.
Levels of remuneration associated with these individual consultancy contracts are commercial in confidence.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many letters were received by the Patent Office during 1994; how may of these were replied to within seven days; and if he will make a statement. [28699]

§ Mr. Ian Taylor
The Patent Office does not hold central records of individual letters received except in the case of letters from Members of Parliament to the chief executive, and letters of complaint under its chartermark procedures. The target for response in both of these cases is 10 working days. In 1994 six letters from Members of Parliament were received and five were answered within the deadline. Fourteen letters of complaint were received and all were answered within the deadline.