Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 July 2013
691. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the efforts being made to promote Ireland as a location for feature film making; if he will provide an annual breakdown, in tabular format, of expenditure by overseas film-makers here since 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35479/13]
View answerPrimary responsibility for the support and promotion of film-making in Ireland in respect of both the indigenous sector and inward productions is a matter for the Irish Film Board (IFB). The IFB is the statutorily independent agency responsible for the promotion and development of the Irish film industry and I have no responsibility in relation to its day-to-day operational matters, including policies and the allocation of resources to different support programmes and schemes.
My Department's operational role in supporting the film sector relates to the administration of elements of Section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 that provides tax relief for investments in qualifying films. This involves the administration of certain elements of the scheme regarding satisfying cultural criteria. The types of film eligible for certification are feature film, television drama, creative documentary and animation.
The data sought by the Deputy are not readily available. I am informed that the compilation of the information requested by the Deputy would involve a disproportionate amount of staff time and resources, especially those of the Irish Film Board which could not be justified in the circumstances. In the meantime, I refer the Deputy to the published Annual Reports of the Irish Film Board which provide the details sought.
