Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee

Forty-Fifth Report - Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Annual Report and Accounts 2021–22

Public Accounts Committee HC 1254 Published 26 April 2023

Report Status

Government responded

Conclusions & Recommendations

24 items (6 recs)

Source

View on Parliament website ↗

Government Response

AI assessment · 24 of 24 classified

Accepted 14

Accepted in Part 1

Acknowledged 4

Deferred 2

Not Addressed 1

Rejected 2

Government response

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty fifth report from Session 2022-23 · published 27 Jun 2023

Read the government response ↗ Response on the Index

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items

6 Recommendation Rejected

Publish convictions for false declarations to Companies House and actions to identify and prosecute offenders.

Recommendation

Confidence in the Companies Register is undermined by errors and inaccuracies. Companies House, an executive agency of the Department, maintains the Register of Companies for England and Wales. The size of the register is growing, which the Department considers reflects … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government disagrees with the recommendation, stating that most errors are accidental and corrected before prosecution, and courts are reluctant to sanction compliant parties. It highlights the forthcoming Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill which will reform Companies House's powers, but does not commit to setting out conviction numbers or current prosecution actions.

HM Treasury

View Details →

21 Conclusion Rejected

It has been an offence since 2009 to make a false return to Companies House,...

Conclusion

It has been an offence since 2009 to make a false return to Companies House, yet to date there is a record of just one conviction for this offence, in 2018. The Department was unable to confirm the number of … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government disagrees with the Committee's implied criticism regarding the lack of convictions under existing powers, explaining that most errors are accidental and courts are reluctant to sanction subsequently-compliant offenders. However, it details new powers and reforms under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill to strengthen enforcement and combat economic crime.

HM Treasury

View Details →