Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the requirement in the Economic and Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 to publish full lists of shareholders on (a) survivors of domestic abuse who own shares in private residential property management companies as a by-product of owning their own home and (b) shareholders in private residential property management companies who cannot afford the cost of applying to have their details redacted.

Requiring certain companies to provide a one-time full shareholder list will allow Companies House to present shareholder information that is already displayed on the register in a more user-friendly way.

The Government aims to strike the right balance between transparency and privacy. New measures will enable those whose details appear on the register (including people at increased risk of harm such as domestic abuse survivors) to apply to have more personal information protected from public disclosure than currently possible. Any fees payable will adhere to HM Treasury’s cost recovery principles.