§ 25. Ms WardTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of levels of inward investment in the UK film industry. [153887]
§ Janet AndersonBritain is an increasingly popular location for film production. A record 28 feature films produced by foreign companies were made in Britain last year, with budgets totalling –366 million, an increase of 9 per cent. on the previous year. Total inward investment in film and television productions was –539 million last year, a 33 per cent. increase on the previous year.
§ 26. Mrs. Betty WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the impact of the extension of the film tax concessions on the industry. [153888]
§ Janet AndersonThe Government's long-term aim is to create a more sustainable and better capitalised film industry. Film tax reliefs have already had a significant impact, attracting hundreds of millions of pounds of investment. The Chancellor's announcement that Section 48 reliefs for the film industry will be extended until July 2005 will give the industry sufficient time to build on these encouraging developments.