§ Mrs. BrintonTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement about the Government's plans to support independent regional cinema. [144794]
§ Mr. Chris SmithThe new Government-funded body for film, the Film Council, recently launched a development strategy for film and the moving image in the English regions. It will provide funding of up to £6 million a year to facilitate the establishment of an integrated regional film agency in each region, with the capacity to determine its own industrial and cultural priorities for film. The funding provided will include a level of support for independent cinema exhibition. The Film Council is also due to launch a new strategy for cinema exhibition later this year.