§ Mr. Remerasked the President of the Board of Trade how many times the Associated Cinemas, Limited, have been fined under the Cinematograph Films Act, 1927, since the passing of that Act for exceeding the quota of foreign films in this country; whether this company are or are not the biggest offenders in this respect; and if he is satisfied that Mr. John Maxwell, the chairman and managing director of this company, in those circumstances is a suitable person to advise the Board of Trade on film production?
Mr. StanleyThe exhibitors in question have been fined five times in different theatres for defaults under Part III of the Cinematograph Films Act, 1927, since the Act came into force. As was pointed out to my hon. Friend in the reply given to him on the 26th July, these offences were in respect of a circuit of some 250 cinemas and no reasonable standard of comparison with other exhibitors exists. Mr. Maxwell is a representative of the Film Producers on the Cinematograph Films Advisory Committee, and I have no reason to suppose that these defaults in any way affect his work as a member of that committee.