§ 39. Mrs. Whiteasked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been drawn to the dissatisfaction felt by British film producers at the delays in the payments made by the British Film Fund Agency; and if he will take steps to speed up these payments.
§ Mr. MaudlingI am satisfied that the British Film Fund Agency carries out its responsibilities efficiently and in general as expeditiously as circumstances allow. Informal talks between the Agency and the film trade associations concerned will shortly take place, and I hope that they will clear up any outstanding points of difficulty.
§ Mrs. WhiteWill the right hon. Gentleman keep this matter in mind? Is he aware that it is very important for smaller film producers especially to have prompt payments? It appears that the Agency is keeping back a disproportionate amount of its funds, instead of paying them out to producers.
§ Mr. MaudlingI think that there may have been some misunderstanding here. I hope that the talks to which I have referred will clear the matter up. I will certainly keep it in mind.