The Culture, Media and Sport Committee is to
continue work from the last Parliament examining the challenges
faced by the British film and high-end television industry and
how the sector and its workforce can be better supported.
The British film and
high-end TV 2 inquiry follows on from the previous inquiry
started by the predecessor committee in July last year and
cut short by the general election.
The previous Government announced several measures designed to
support the industry following calls from the last committee,
including the Independent Film Tax Credit, confirmed by the new
Government earlier this month, and targeted tax relief for visual
effects, which was confirmed in yesterday's Budget.
The new inquiry will build on the successes of the last. It will
continue to examine the attractiveness of the UK as a global
destination for production and what more could be done to
ensure it has the skilled workforce it needs. It will also look
at the ethical use of artificial intelligence in film-making and
probe the work of the BFI and the Government's vision for the
sector.
Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Dame
MP, said:
“The predecessor committee's work in the last Parliament featured
some blockbuster successes, securing tax incentives from the
Treasury to support independent film and visual effects and
raising awareness of the huge importance of the industry to the
UK's economy and culture. While the general election left a real
cliffhanger for the sector, I'm delighted it is now lights,
camera, action once again.
Like any good sequel, the new Committee's inquiry will follow up
important themes from last time, while moving the story on to
shine a light on how the industry can best thrive into the
future.
The confirmation in yesterday's Budget that additional tax relief
for visual effects will go ahead is a welcome step in providing
certainly for the industry, but there is a constant challenge to
make sure the UK maintains and enhances its status as a global
destination for production. Our inquiry will make sure the
industry and new Government have the right vision and measures in
place to ensure the British film and high-end TV sector remains a
powerhouse on the world stage.”
The previous Committee wrote to the previous
Chancellor in February to call for more support for
independent UK film and also ahead of the Autumn
Statement last year to highlight the need for tax
support for the visual effects industry. It also wrote to the then Culture
Secretary after the general election was called.
Written evidence and oral evidence transcripts from the last
inquiry are available here.
