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Written Question
Directors: Disqualification
Thursday 9th June 2022

Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on how many occasions the Official Receiver has issued legal proceedings against a disqualified director for the recovery of assets in each of the last five years.

Answered by Paul Scully

Information on the issuing of legal proceedings by the Official Receiver against disqualified directors is not collated and is not readily available. As part of their duties, where the Official Receiver is liquidator, they may instruct solicitors to take recovery action against directors, whether disqualified or not. Many cases are resolved without the need to issue legal proceedings.


Written Question
Directors: Disqualification
Thursday 9th June 2022

Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average (a) cost is incurred by the Insolvency Service of each director disqualification it has undertaken and (b) length of time taken by the Insolvency Service to secure a director disqualification, from the date at which the office holder's report on the director's conduct is submitted to the Insolvency Service, for each of the last five years.

Answered by Paul Scully

The Insolvency Service does not currently record the average cost of a disqualification, however where a case goes to court, the Insolvency Service’s costs are calculated on individual cases for the purpose of seeking costs.

The Insolvency Service records the average time from the date of insolvency to disqualification. The average time for each of the last five years is:

2021-22

22.1 months

2020-21

21.7 months

2019-20

19.8 months

2018-19

19.9 months

2017-18

20.4 months


Written Question
Companies House
Monday 23rd May 2022

Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his planned timetable is for reforms to Companies House; and if he will take steps to ensure that insolvency practitioners, when appointed to an insolvent company, are included in the category of those able to access the proposed new range of additional back office information collected by Companies House.

Answered by Paul Scully

Reform of Companies House will be included in the forthcoming Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill. We are preparing the Bill at pace and expect it to be introduced early in the session.

The Government outlined plans to enable the Registrar to proactively disclose information to law enforcement and other relevant bodies, including insolvency practitioners, in its Corporate Transparency and Register Reform White Paper.


Written Question
Companies House
Monday 23rd May 2022

Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating an administrative process to restore dissolved companies, in place of the current requirement to obtain a court order.

Answered by Paul Scully

An administrative process to restore dissolved companies already exists under section 1025 of the Companies Act 2006. Such an application can only be made by a former director or member of the company. Other parties can apply to restore a company under section 1029 of the Act, but they must demonstrate to the court that they have a relevant interest in the dissolved company. We consider it appropriate for the court to make that judgment and, therefore, have no plans to amend the existing approach.


Written Question
Companies House
Monday 23rd May 2022

Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many of the companies that were subject to a compulsory strike off process by Companies House were insolvent during the period 1 January 2019 to 17 May 2022.

Answered by Paul Scully

If a company does not respond during the strike-off process and there are no objections to dissolution then Companies House will not receive information on the solvency of that company prior to striking it off the register. It is therefore not possible to say how many companies struck off over the period were insolvent.

Official statistics on dissolved and struck off companies are published each quarter (in Table 1e) of ‘Incorporated Companies in the UK’, with the latest release available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/incorporated-companies-in-the-uk-january-to-march-2022.


Written Question
Companies House
Tuesday 29th March 2022

Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

What recent progress he has made on reforming Companies House.

Answered by Paul Scully

Reform is already underway, with a further £63 million to be invested over the Spending Review period. We will legislate for new powers for Companies House in the Economic Crime Bill to come early in the next session.


Written Question
Help to Grow Scheme
Monday 6th December 2021

Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many places he has allocated for Help to Grow Management in each (a) region of England and (b) devolved nation of the UK in (i) 2021-22, (ii) 2022-23 and (iii) 2023-24.

Answered by Paul Scully

Help to Grow: Management aims to support up to 30,000 small and medium-sized (SME) businesses to boost their leadership and management capability over the lifetime of the programme. The programme will be delivered across all regions of England and the Devolved Administrations, and we will work with our delivery partner and the Small Business Charter accredited business schools to ensure that there is strong take up of the programme in every region, and that we effectively support all areas of the UK with lower productivity, in alignment with Government’s levelling up agenda.


Written Question
Help to Grow Scheme
Monday 6th December 2021

Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his policy to allocate the number of places on Help to Grow Management courses by (a) region in England and (b) devolved nation in the UK.

Answered by Paul Scully

Help to Grow: Management aims to support up to 30,000 small and medium-sized (SME) businesses to boost their leadership and management capability over the lifetime of the programme. The programme will be delivered across all regions of England and the Devolved Administrations, and we will work with our delivery partner and the Small Business Charter accredited business schools to ensure that there is strong take up of the programme in every region, and that we effectively support all areas of the UK with lower productivity, in alignment with Government’s levelling up agenda.


Written Question
Construction: Licensing
Friday 17th May 2019

Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the implications for the Government's polices of the Federation of Master Builders’ report, Licence to build: A pathway to licensing UK construction.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has regular discussions with the construction industry, including the Federation of Master Builders, about how best to improve the standard of work undertaken by firms and sole traders in the sector, and to protect consumers.

The Government has already endorsed the TrustMark Scheme which works to educate consumers on recognising and reporting rogue traders operating in the home building and repair market. TrustMask is actively involved with Trading Standards to provide further protection to consumers affected by rogue builders; and to identify local traders who have undergone independent checks for both trade competence and good trading practice. This scheme gives consumers increased confidence and ability to choose registered businesses including builders who adhere to and maintain high standards.


Written Question
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Travellers
Monday 23rd April 2018

Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings he has had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford

The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Race Disparity Unit work closely together to further progress the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and to improve the coverage of ethnic groups including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers.

The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data.