Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many inquiries into the suspected abuse of dormant company status for corporation tax purposes were undertaken in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15, (d) 2015-16 and (e) 2016-17; and how many abuses of that status were discovered with what revenue recovered as a result of those inquiries in each of those years.

Where HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) suspects that a company that was treated as inactive has come within the charge to Corporation Tax but has not informed HMRC, a notice requiring a return to be delivered is sent to the company.

HMRC does not keep a central record of how many notices requiring a return are sent in such cases.