§ Dr. Strossasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many films have been produced by the Crown Film Unit since its inception; how many technicians and workers will be unemployed as a result of closing the unit; and what was the average cost, per year, of maintaining it.
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§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterSince the formation of the Central Office of Information in 1946, the Crown Film Unit has produced 184 films; the number of films made between 1929, when the Unit was originally founded by the Empire Marketing Board, and 1946 is estimated at 400. As a result of the closing of the Unit, 104 members of the staff will be made available for other employment.
The average annual expenditure of the Unit since 1946, including the cost of the films produced, has been about £225,000. In addition, it has been necessary to provide for the distribution and showing of some of the films which would not have obtained showing through normal channels. The average cost of the film distribution system of the Central Office of Information has been £180,000 per annum, and although a large proportion of this is attributable to showings of films produced by other film producers, the decision to close down the distribution service and save the £180,000 was an additional reason for closing down the Crown Film Unit, which would otherwise have been producing films with no means of distributing them.