§ 55. Mr. WOMERSLEYasked the President of the Board of Trade the reasons why a certain limited liability company and four of its directors, fined on 28th March by the Lord Mayor of London for infringement of the Companies Act, were allowed by the Board of Trade to disregard the Act, in that from August, 1928, until the date upon which they were summoned at the instance of a private person and convicted they ignored their statutory obligation to file returns at Somerset House and issue a profit-and-loss account within the required period?
§ Mr. W. GRAHAMIf the hon. Member will refer to Sections 110, 112 and 123 of the Companies Act, 1929, he will see that the time limits in the case of this company expired in November and December, 1929, not in August, 1928, as suggested in the question. A complete list of the companies which have failed to file returns in respect of a calendar year cannot be compiled until after the end of the following January. Action was taken by the Solicitor to the Board of Trade as soon as this company was reported to him as having failed to make a return for 1929. The return was filed on 26th March.
§ 61. Sir BERTRAM FALLEasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish in the Board of Trade Journal, on or about 1st May next, the number of those public companies which 1954 have by then not filed annual accounts and balance sheets for the year 1929; will he then indicate how many out of that number are companies in liquidation and the approximate number of cases in which there is an incomplete return; and will he also arrange that a similar list shall be published in the Board of Trade Journal during the first week in April in every future year?
§ Mr. GRAHAMIf the hon. and gallant Member will put down a question at the date he mentions, I will endeavour to give him the information he desires. I will consider his proposal in regard to future years.