MPs scrutinise Companies House

Unhappy with some of the user complaints about activity at Companies House and delays in implementing aspects of the new Companies Act , a BERR committee of MPs met up recently with senior executives at the CRO in an oral evidence session. MPs heard that the public fears over false information being filed at Companies Registry by "would be" fraudsters and the like are justified, in that very little information coming into Companies House is actually verfied or validated by staff there. The CRO chief executive complained that too few companies had taken up the system of electronic filing of director changes etc called "PROOF", which would substantially cut down on the incidences of identity theft at CRO. When the BERR commitee asked whether making the system compulsory would greatly reduce the identity theft problem, the CRO said yes. One committee member commented " I feel a strong recommendation to Government coming here". Personally, I would back such a move because in this instance, i totally endorse the CRO’s view that electronic filing of such changes would make it more difficult for opportunist criminals to fiddle with public records.