Barriers To Investment In The British Film Industry

EDM number 1221 in 1993-94, proposed by Nicholas Winterton on 13/05/1994.

That this House notes with deep concern that planned production of the $53 million dollar film 'Braveheart', by Mr Mel Gibson, which was originally intended for filming on location in Scotland and at Shepperton Studios, has now been switched to the Ardmore Studios in the Republic of Ireland with only a much shorter shoot in Scotland; fully understands Mr Gibson's wish to take full advantage of the investment and tax incentives which the Irish Government has had the foresight to introduce in a most successful attempt to attract film producers to that country; notes that the United Kingdom film industry is now losing hundreds of millions of dollars of potential revenue annually as a result of the short-sighted reluctance of Her Majesty's Treasury to introduce 100 per cent. capital allowances to allow industry to write-off investment expenses for tax purposes in the first year; and urges the Secretary of State for National Heritage to continue his very welcome efforts to persuade Treasury Ministers to look again at the existing undesirable and unnecessary barriers to investment in the United Kingdom and to do so before the excellent skills, unique locations and quality facilities which the British film industry is able to offer to overseas producers are lost forever.

This motion has been signed by a total of 28 MPs.