Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many fake companies were registered in each of the last 12 months for which there are records, unbeknownst to the householder at the address used.

Companies House does not have a means of accurately measuring the volume of companies used for illegitimate purposes or an approved statistical method to estimate it. However, Companies House does act on reports of unexpected activity that may indicate that an incorporated entity is being used illegitimately.

Following the commencement of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 on 4 March Companies House has begun to act proactively cleanse the Register of Companies of disputed information. It has also been empowered to proactively share information with law enforcement partners where potentially illegitimate activity is identified.