Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps the Intellectual Property Office is taking to simplify guidance for first-time patent applicants.

The Intellectual Property Office are committed to providing guidance that is findable, accessible and easy to understand for all customers, including first time patent applicants, who are regular consumers of this information.

The Intellectual Property Office regularly reviews guidance on its website to ensure that it meets the needs of all users and is written in clear, customer focused language so complex processes are easier to understand and user feedback is acted on.

In addition the Intellectual Property Office provides support through its Private Applicant Unit and Customer Support Centre to help first time applicants navigate the patent application process.