Vol. 500 No. 4
63 Mr. Gormley asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will report on the number of registered companies which have the status of companies limited by guarantee; if she has satisfied herself that these bodies are operating to the highest standards in terms of statutory compliance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1047/99]
There are approximately 6,978 guarantee companies on the companies register at present. Many companies, including guarantee companies, do not operate to the highest standards of statutory compliance. The number of guarantee companies who have filed an up to date annual return in the last 12 months or who are not yet due to file a return, is about 1,630. This represents a compliance rate of 23 per cent.
A determined effort is being made to improve statutory compliance rates. Following the installation of a new computer system in the Companies Registration Office, the Registrar of Companies has commenced a process of striking thousands of non-compliant companies off the register. This exercise, which commenced in September 1998, will see a dramatic improvement in compliance by all forms of company by the end of this year.
64 Mr. Ferris asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if Apple in Cork which recently announced the loss of several hundred jobs had made all necessary returns to the Companies Office for each of the past few years; the steps, if any, taken in respect of any failure by the company to file the necessary returns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4150/99]
Apple Computers Limited, as a company which had failed to make annual returns for two years, was randomly selected in September 1998 and formally notified by the Companies Registration Office that a failure to remedy its default would result in its being struck off the Register of Companies. It was removed from the strike-off list following the submission of the company's 1996 annual returns.
In the event that this company fails in the future to file with the Companies Office the annual returns which it is obliged by law to file, it will, like all other companies, be placed in due course on the strike-off list and, or face other enforcemnt procedures by the Registrar of Companies.
