§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what(a) financial and (b) other assistance has been provided towards film making in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [151184]
§ Angela SmithThe information is as follows:
(a) In the years in question the following financial assistance was provided towards film making in Northern Ireland.
865W
£ DCAL DETI 1998–99 965,850 412,384 1999–2000 1,006,335 571,106 2000–01 816,081 491,855 2001–02 739,911 363,000 2002–03 1,097,324 300,000 2003–04 1,038,459 — TOTAL 5,663,960 2,138,345 (b) In terms of other assistance, the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission, which comes under the remit of DCAL, promotes awareness of Northern Ireland locations, crews and facilities to producers nationally and internationally, and promotes films produced in Northern Ireland. It also supports the development and production of films in Northern Ireland and encourages private sector investment in the industry. The Commission provides free advice to film-makers on all aspects of the business, including locations, casting, crews, facilities, safety, finance and trainees.
No other non-financial assistance has been provided to the industry from DETI or Invest NI.