United States Film Tariff Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Zöe Franklin
Main Page: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)Department Debates - View all Zöe Franklin's debates with the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
United States Film Tariff
Zöe Franklin Excerpts(3 weeks, 3 days ago)
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Chris Bryant
Interestingly, I was at the Bad Wolf studios in Cardiff last week, and one thing Jane Tranter raised with me was how important the security of knowing that they have a number of projects in their studios has been to taking on apprentices in the company. They have been making not just “Doctor Who” but “His Dark Materials”, and “Industry” is being filmed there at the moment. There are a whole series of different projects, and that enables the studios to take people on not just on a daily basis. We need to change the apprenticeship levy in the UK so that it works better for the film industry and so that the industry can make long-term commitments to people’s future careers.
Zöe Franklin (Guildford) (LD)
I appreciate the Minister’s comments this afternoon. I am a member of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, and we have heard over and over again how important UK film tax credits are to the industry and about the tangible difference they make to film makers across the UK. Can the Minister say whether the Government are considering increasing or adjusting them in any way to maintain competitiveness with US and other international markets, given the context we are now working within?
Chris Bryant
I have always said that I support film tax credits. Labour first introduced them under Gordon Brown. They were continued by the Conservative Government, and then we introduced two new ones. Incidentally, I think that the independent £15 million movie tax credit will make a significant difference to the UK, particularly at this point. I note that some documents produced around the semi-announcement in the United States of America have praised the way that we have done things in the UK, and other parts of the world want to mirror it. I will take praise wherever I can get it.