John Bruton
Ceist:58 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he has any plans for a constitutional amendment to enable Ireland to ratify the European Community Patent Convention.
Written Answers. - EC Patent Convention.
There are two quite distinct Conventions embraced in the Deputy's question. The first of these — the European Patent Convention — can be ratified following enactment of legislation alone and to this end, inter alia, I hope to introduce a new Patents Bill in this House shortly.
A separate Convention — the Community Patent Convention — will however require a constitutional amendment before it can be ratified. While there are no immediate plans to introduce a constitutional amendment specifically on this issue, the matter will be borne in mind in the context of other possible constitutional changes that may arise in the period ahead.