Major Lloydasked the President of the Board of Trade how many official inquiries there have been into the working of the film industry in this country during the last five years; what were the dates of the resulting reports; and what action has been taken.
§ Mr. J. Edwards:A report on "Monopolistic Tendencies in the Cinematograph Film Industry" was made by the Cinematograph Films Council on 18th July, 1944, and was published as a non-Parliamentary publication. One sequel to this report was the incorporation of certain provisions in Section 5 of the Cinematograph Films Act. 1948. The Board of Trade are empowered by this Section to restrict the expansion of circuits with more than 200 cinemas and to require each of any such circuits to show up to six British films a year on the recommendation of a Selection Committee.
Sir George Gater's Film Studio Committee reported on 22nd October, 1948. The decisions reached on this Report were announced in the House on 18th November, 1948, in the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Aston (Mr. Wyatt).
Sir George Gater's Working Party on Film Production Costs reported on 24th October 1949; and the Committee on Distribution and Exhibition of Films, whose original Chairman, the late Lord Portal, was replaced by Sir Arnold Plant, reported on 28th November, 1949. Both of these Reports will be published very shortly, but before any action can be taken on them, consultations will have to be held with the various interested sections of the industry.