§ Mr. Amessasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many independent cinemas there are in England and Wales including individually owned and small groups; and what proportion these constitute of all cinemas.
§ Mr. Norman LamontThere are 642 cinemas in England and Wales of which 166 (25.9 per cent.) are owned by the two major circuits, Rank and Thorn-EMI; 92 (14.3 per cent.) by the next two largest groups, Cannon-Classic and Star/Cinecenta; 41 (6.4 per cent.) by the Hutchinson's, Unit Four, Granada and Ace groups; and the remaining 343 (53.4 per cent.) owned by smaller groups or in ones and twos. These figures are based on the number of current licences issued by my Department under the Films Acts, and therefore exclude cinema clubs.