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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 26 Feb 1991

Vol. 405 No. 6

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Companies Office Workload.

Pat Rabbitte

Ceist:

15 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the plans he has to deal with continuing delays in the Companies Office, especially in view of its extra workload arising from recent legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I would refer the Deputy to my response to Question No. 58 on 5 December 1989, cols. 66, 67 of the Official Report, particularly to the statement that the management of the Companies Office is continually reviewing existing procedures, including the installation of new technology. While the volume of work has been increasing substantially in recent years, I am informed that reductions in staffing levels in the Companies Office have somewhat stabilised in recent months. With a view to addressing the increased workload and thereby improve its service to the public, several initiatives involving the installation of new technology are being taken by the Companies Office. Most recently, considerable investment is being made in the installation of a document processing system involving the storage on computer of document images. I am informed that new companies incorporated from May 1990 have been scanned on to the system and an image of each of their Memorandum and Articles of Association is now available on demand. A high speed scanner is currently being tested which, when put into production, will enable the "imaging" of all new documents received and their availability for inspection within ten days of delivery. These images will, I understand, be accessible remotely by means of facsimile machines. I am hopeful that when the document image processing system is fully operational, Companies Office service to the public will improve considerably.

I thank the Minister for his reply concerning new companies incorporated since 1990, but is the Minister aware that the situation is chaotic in the Companies Office as it stands before that, especially arising from the imposition of the Companies (Amendment) Act, 1986, that there are tens of thousands of returns strewn on the floor in files because there are not enough staff to deal with them; that in fact, if one asks to inspect a file in the Companies Office one is charged a fee of £2, and yet the prospects of getting an up-to-date file, I am reliably advised, are remote; and that the most recent legislation we have put through the House will increase the imposition on the Companies Office? Is it not high time the Minister took a radical step concerning the staffing levels at the Companies Office?

There has been an increase in the staff in the Companies Office of some significance which should be noted by the Deputy given that the overall number of staff in my Department has had to continue to decrease. The Deputy will also appreciate that unlike the position of a few years ago there is now considerable electronic aid available to the staff concerned and to the public, and that when this new system is fully operational, which I understand will be by the end of this year, the difficulties, which I accept have been experienced in the last year or two, should very largely then be overcome.

Does the Minister think it proper that a member of the public ought to be charged £2 to see a file that proves to be hopelessly and completely out of date and as a result virtually worthless?

Obviously some charge has to be made in respect of the inspection of files. The fact that a particular file may be hopelessly out of date is not necessarily the fault of the Companies Registration Office; it may be the fault of the company itself which may not have filed the returns.

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