Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to take fiscal steps to help protect post-production film industry jobs affected by covid-19 restrictions on filming for (a) television and (b) film.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups and other government departments to understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 across all key areas of the economy.
The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors like the creative industries, and on workers in television and film.
That is why the Chancellor has already announced unprecedented support for individuals and businesses, to protect against the current economic emergency. This includes to our welfare system through Universal Credit and Statutory Sick Pay; grant schemes such as the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund and the Discretionary Grant Fund; a range of government-backed and guaranteed loan schemes; the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).
The CJRS was announced in March to help firms keep millions of people in employment, it is a temporary scheme ending at the end of October which has so far helped 1.1 million employers across the UK furlough 9.3 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods (as at midnight 28 June 2020 - here is a link to the latest figures). The SEISS helps self-employed workers adversely affected by COVID-19. The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extension of the scheme on 29 May and eligible individuals may now qualify for a second and final grant. This means the UK continues to have one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world as the economy reopens.
We will continue to monitor the impact of government support with regard to supporting public services, businesses, individuals, and sectors such as the entertainment industry as we respond to this pandemic and consider the longer-term economic recovery.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to support domestic film production companies to raise funding.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The UK film industry is a great success story, contributing an estimated £4 billion a year to the economy and supporting nearly 70,000 jobs. Last year the government provided £469 million worth of support through the film tax relief and almost £70 million in grant in aid and national lottery funding through the British Film Institute.
The film tax relief supports the production of culturally British films. 2,420 films have benefitted from the film tax relief since it was introduced in 2007.
The British Film Institute supports UK film production companies through the BFI Film Fund, investing in the production of films from adventurous storytellers, the BFI Locked Box initiative, enabling production companies to benefit from the success of their films, and the BFI Vision Awards, supporting new film producers to build their companies.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the British Film Institute Screen Business: How screen sector tax reliefs power economic growth across the UK, published October 2018; and whether they intend to further assist the British film industry as a result of its findings.
Answered by Lord Bates
The government welcomes the British Film Institute’s report. The creative industries make a valuable cultural contribution to the UK and are an important part of a dynamic and diversified economy. The government also welcomes the British Film Institute’s efforts in improving the evidence about the impact of the screen sector on the UK economy.
2,420 films have benefitted from the film tax relief since it was introduced in 2007, providing support worth £469 million to the production of culturally British films in 2017-18, up from £424 million the year before.
Last year the government invested almost £70 million in grant in aid and national lottery funding through the British Film Institute.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings he has held with (a) television and (b) film production companies on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the UK film and TV industry in the last 12 months.
Answered by Margot James
The government has engaged extensively with TV and film production stakeholders on the impact of exiting the EU. Over the past year, DCMS has organised a number of ministerial roundtables as well as bilateral meetings with broadcasters, and television and film production companies on the topic of Brexit and related issues, including the potential effects of our exit from the EU for these companies.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has a policy to attract the television and film industry to work in the UK.
Answered by Margot James
The strength of the UK’s production sector is rooted in international confidence in the film-friendly policies of this government, including funding for the British Film Institute and British Film Commission, as well as the attractive fiscal environment created by the government’s creative sector tax reliefs. Such support, along with the world-class excellence of UK talent, crews and locations, continues to cement the UK’s reputation as a leading global destination for film and TV production. 2017 saw a new record for expenditure on inward investment film and television production with £1.69 billion for film, a 23% increase on the previous year, and £684 million for high-end television production, a 27% increase on 2016.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to promote international collaboration between British and European film industries after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Margot James
The government remains committed to supporting the UK film industry and is consulting closely with stakeholders to ensure that the sector continues to thrive after the UK has left the EU.
The Prime Minister has made clear that, where possible, we will continue to participate in specific policies and programmes where there is mutual benefit to both the UK and the EU. The UK film industry is a great success story, contributing over £4 billion a year to the economy, and British producers will continue to be able to co-produce films with international partners under the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department provides for projects to develop the Chinese fashion and film industry.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
This financial year, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office has funded one project in China working with the fashion industry, with £65,420 funds allocated. This project involves UK cultural institutions and Higher Education providers working with Chinese policymakers and fashion professionals.
The FCO has funded three projects working with the TV and film industry in China. These projects are all implemented by British organisations working with China's film industry and television production companies and policy makers improve skills, expertise, and policy frameworks for operating in international markets. One project, with £80,000 funds allocated, is designed to enhance UK-China collaboration, including on co-productions and film exports. Another project, with £79,325 funds allocated, supports building of capacity building in the Chinese TV industry. The third project, with £28,390 funds allocated, is designed to strengthen skills and Intellectual Property protection in Jiangsu's creative sector.
All these projects aim to develop China's domestic and international creative and cultural industries, and to generate opportunities for international business, including UK companies already in China and other UK companies seeking access to the growing Chinese market. As an example, at the annual high-level People to People Dialogue between UK and Chinese Ministers in December, the UK agreed a TV Co-Production Treaty with China, which will deliver a boost of around £55m per year for the UK television industry by helping UK exporters access the Chinese market. FCO projects in these sectors help develop links between UK and Chinese companies.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve diversity in employment in the creative industries.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Government is committed to improving diversity in employment in the creative industries, and we are working with a range of organisations and arm’s length bodies to achieve this. The Minister for Culture held the first of a series of diversity roundtables in September and we are supporting industry initiatives including the Creative Industries Council’s (CIC) new strategy sets targets for businesses to promote diversity in the sector; the British Film Institute’s (BFI) introduction of diversity standards to improve the representation of diverse groups in film production; and the launch of Project Diamond to monitor diversity of employment in the broadcasting sector.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) encourage the training of new behind the scenes production staff and (b) promote Britain's position in the global film industry.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Government announced up to £16 million in match funding in 2013 and a further £4m in 2015 to support skills in the Creative Industries, including training for behind the scenes production staff. The UK has one of the most generous film tax reliefs in the world. In 2014-15, the Government paid out £251 million in film tax relief, which attracted over £1 billion in investment to the UK last year. In 2015-16, the Government is also providing over £23 million in grant in aid alongside a projected £49 million in Lottery funding to support Britain’s position in the global film industry.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to promote gender diversity in the UK film industry.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
This Government is committed to promoting diversity in the film industry. We support the British Film Institute's (BFI) newly launched £1 million Diversity Fund, which works to provide professional development opportunities to people from underrepresented groups, as well as funding to organisations that are looking to support diversity projects. As part of the recent London Film Festival, the BFI supported the Geena Davis Institute's symposium on Gender in the Media, and has also recently extended its Diversity Standards to cover all Film Fund Lottery schemes which support film development, production and distribution, and widen access to film in the UK.