Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)

I compliment the Minister on this issue. He always led from the front in ensuring this initiative would not be removed. These changes for 2006 will restore confidence in the film market. This is for a two year span until 2008, when it will then be removed. Would it not be better to review it rather than remove it? It takes years to plan a major film and this initiative is all about attracting some of the major American companies to make those films here. This initiative is far more beneficial and more interesting from the perspective of those companies, but if it is only available for two years, we may not get as much benefit from it as we think. It would be much better to state that the initiative will be reviewed on 31 December 2008, rather than that it will expire on that date.

I am aware the matter is for the Minister for Finance in the first instance, but does the Minister not feel it should be reviewed rather than expire at that stage? We are seeking to give confidence to the major film makers to come here. If the incentive is reviewed in 2008, we will attract most of those American companies which recently seem to be going to other countries.

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