Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to report to the Seanad on amendments made in the Dáil to the Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016 on Report and Final Stages on 29 March when three amendments were passed to amend the version of the Bill passed by this House. I take the opportunity to outline for Senators the purpose of the three amendments passed by the Dáil.

The first amendment, in the name of Deputy James Lawless, inserted a new subsection (5) into section 7 of the Bill. It has the effect of requiring the Revenue Commissioners, within three months of enactment of the Bill, to provide a guidance document for businesses making applications under the knowledge development box, KDB, certification scheme. Applications under the scheme will be made to the Controller of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks. It is the controller's intention to provide guidelines for applicants under the new scheme. The controller will work closely with Revenue on the guidelines.

The second amendment passed by the Dáil, also in the name of Deputy James Lawless, inserted a new subsection (7) into section 8 of the Bill. It has the effect of requiring the preparation of an annual report, on an anonymous basis, giving an indication as to the reasons applications for KDB certificates did not succeed in the Patents Office. The intention behind the amendment is to facilitate the creation of a database of unsuccessful cases that might be a helpful reference point for future applicants.

The third amendment, proposed by Deputies Richard Boyd Barrett and Bríd Smith, inserted a new subsection (3) into section 18 of the Bill. It relates to the annual report presented by the Controller of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks. It provides that the Minister may ask the controller to include in the annual report a breakdown of appropriate categories or sectoral headings in respect of applications made to the office under the scheme. The purpose of the amendment is to provide full information on the categories of industries and businesses that will benefit from the KDB certification scheme or the sectors within which they operate.