§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Trade which Government Departments are allowed to remove companies' files from the Companies Registry; and what is the number of files so removed in a year and the maximum length of time for which they are removed.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisIt is the practice of the Registrar of Companies to release files only to certain divisions of my Department and to the Board of the Inland Revenue. Approximately 26,000 files were released in 1973. All files are recalled within 24 hours of a request being made by a member of the public for inspection, except when they are required for production in court.
§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the number of companies' files which are currently unavailable for inspection at the Companies Registry (a) because their contents are being microfilmed, and (b) for other reasons, stating the reasons.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisOn average, approximately 5,500 files are at present in process of filming at any one time and are unavailable for up to five days. Any such file, however, can be retrieved within one day if urgently required for search purposes. It is not possible to state how many other files may be temporarily unavailable for other purposes; the majority, required for examination within Companies Registration Office and other branches of this Department, can normally be retrieved within one day. Those required for the preparation of photocopies requested by previous searchers may be unavailable for up to three days, whilst no time limit can be placed on the retention of the small number required for court proceedings.