It”s a tough job but someone”s got to do it. While most UK government ministers are locking horns with the public sector, culture minister Ed Vaizey is in LA promoting the UK film industry and its facilities.

According to UK Trade & Investment, Vaizey and Adrian Wootton, Film London and British Film Commission Chief Executive, “have crossed the Atlantic to meet officials from many of the city’;s top studios and production companies. Their mission is to convince Hollywood to film in the UK by championing the nation’;s excellent facilities, first-rate crews and prolific film and TV sector”.

Following the Government’;s recent decision to extend UK film tax relief until 2015, Vaizey described the trip as “an important opportunity to meet with the studios that invest over $1 billion a year in the British film industry.”

Wootton, in his recently-expanded role, added: “LA is hugely important to us and it is fantastic Ed Vaizey is able to promote what the UK has to offer, from our excellent facilities to the unrivalled experience of our crew and of course, the tax relief which helps make the UK a cost effective option.” Recent movies shot in the UK include Snow White and the Huntsman, Jack the Giant Killer; and World War Z, starring Brad Pitt.