MP takes student's idea to Westminster

South Lakes MP Tim Farron called for more support and apprenticeships in the UK film industry in parliament yesterday. The idea for his contribution came from Kendal College student Emilio Methven who Tim met at one of his impromptu advice surgeries under the birdcage last Friday.

Tim spoke in a Westminster Hall debate yesterday morning about investment in the UK film industry. Emilio met Tim on Friday and mentioned the film industry, at their meeting Tim discussed the forthcoming debate and Emilio offered to discuss the issue with his fellow students on the course. He emailed Tim over the weekend with the results of those discussions and Tim used them in parliament as a basis for his contribution in the debate.

Tim said in the debate: "Does my hon. Friend agree that the important thing is to consider the future of the film industry and particularly the young people who are involved in it? Whatever is the case, it is certainly not the fault of young people looking for a future in the film industry. I spoke to a young man-a Kendal college film student-called Emilio Methven on Friday. He did a survey of his fellow students over the weekend, and they want investment in the film industry going forward and more apprenticeships. They want the UK Government to demonstrate that in backing the UK film industry, they are going to back UK film students. They do not want a sense of there being a retrospective potential attack on the film industry that makes their future much harder to establish."

Tim said: "It was brilliant to be able to use the information given to me by Emilio and the students at Kendal College in a debate in Parliament. I hold advice surgeries to be available to people and make sure that they can talk to me about whatever they want - it was incredibly fortuitous that the issue Emilio spoke to me about was coming up to be debated in Westminster.

"I'd like to thank him and his fellow students for their help."

Kendal college student Emilio Methven added: "I really do believe that film, and creative media in fact, is becoming a huge part of people's lives whether it's just for leisure, or even to escape the real world, it provides people with an escape and can help people emotionally, it also inspires people to achieve greater things, which is part of the key to success in the modern world, and I think that Tim has done a great thing for the film industry today."