§ Mr. John EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on assistance to the British film industry.
§ Mr. ForthThe Government provide support of £1.5 million a year through British Screen Finance Ltd. for feature film production, together with a further £0.5 million a year for short films and script development. Our present five-year commitment to British Screen is due to expire at the end of this year, but we announced in July 1989 that funding will continue at the present level of £2 million a year for a further three years, until the end of 1993.
We announced on Friday 15 June that the Government would in addition provide £5 million over the next three years to provide pump-priming finance to support producers seeking to enter European co-production. We also announced a range of other measures including the setting up of a working party to be chaired by my Department to look at the structure of the film industry and how to attract greater private sector finance into United Kingdom film production, and to report back in the autumn.
§ Mr. JanmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received in opposition to the Exchequer subsidising the British film industry.
§ Mr. ForthMy Department has received no representations in opposition to the Exchequer subsidising the film industry.