§ 39. Mr. G. Jegerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the 200 cinemas and 13 theatres which were closed during the past year paid Entertainments Duty by direct payment; and what were the total amounts paid in each case during the year preceding their closure.
§ Mr. PowellEntertainments Duty was being paid on the basis of certified weekly returns of attendances by about 160 of the cinemas and eleven of the theatres at the time of their closure. To extract the information asked for in the second part of the Question would involve undue expenditure of time and money.
§ Mr. JegerCan the Financial Secretary assure us that in a few minutes that information will be obsolete, out of date and irrelevant in any case?
§ Mr. PowellThe hon. Gentleman has only a short time now to be patient.