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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of checks on company registrations in England and Wales.

The Registrar of Companies (Companies House) has a statutory obligation to incorporate a new company on receipt of a validly completed application. When registering a new company, the Registrar is carrying out a function of the state on behalf of the Government.

Companies House undertakes numerous checks on the validity of information, both at incorporation and throughout the life of the company as new information is submitted.

The Department consulted earlier this year on a broad package of possible reforms to Companies House to ensure it is fit for the future and continues to contribute to the UK’s business environment. They are designed to deliver more reliably accurate information on the companies register and enhance Companies House work in support of UK law enforcement efforts to tackle economic crime.