Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I submitted a parliamentary question to the Minister recently on the Irish Film Board. The film board does good work and it is wonderful to see the results of that. However, it is also necessary for Deputies to scrutinise the work of these bodies and to ensure there is value for the level of euro invested. My question simply asked how much in loans was being given out by the Irish Film Board annually, how many of the loans were defaulting and if people who had defaulted on loans received loans subsequent to that. The reply I received basically advised me to look up the information in the annual report of the Irish Film Board, which did not answer my question. I examined the report but I could not find the details I had sought.

I am also slightly concerned about the structure of the tax breaks in the sector. What we must do with those tax breaks is ensure we are left with a growing, deeper infrastructure that produces for the future. I am worried that some of the schemes are just mechanisms whereby foreign firms can partner with local firms without leaving an infrastructure or a human resource behind to develop the industry.

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