asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when she intends to implement the Banks Committee's recommendation that Section 41 of the Patents Act 1949 should be repealed.

As stated in paragraph 32 of the White Paper on Patent Law Reform (Cmnd. 6000 of April 1975), the Government do not feel able to support the recommendation that Section 41 be repealed because they feel that the presence of the section operates as a means of stimulating price competition and restraining exorbitant prices.