§ Mr. Dodsworthasked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the total annual cost of running the Companies Registration Office in Cardiff.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisThe total estimated cost of the operation of Companies Registration Office in the calendar year 1976 is £8.7 million, of which £3.4 million is attributed to the Cardiff office. These figures relate to a period of transition and do not reflect the long-term relationship between the costs of the Cardiff and London offices.
§ Mr. Dodsworthasked the Secretary of State for Trade how many people are employed at the Companies Registration Office in Cardiff; and how many are employed at each grade.
§ Mr. Clinton Davis701 staff were employed at Companies Registration Office, Cardiff on 14th February, as follows:
Registrar … … 16 Senior Principal … … 1 Principal … … 2 Senior Executive Officers … … 5 Higher Executive Officers … … 16 Executive Officers … … 56 Clerical Officers … … 235 Clerical Assistant … … 205 Paperkeeping Grades … … 49 Messengerial Grades … … 28 Photoprinting Grades … … 74 Typing Grades … … 18 Telephonists … … 4 Data Processors … … 7
§ Mr. Dodsworthasked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the average delay in the opening of letters containing forms concerning registration at the Companies Registration Office in Cardiff.
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§ Mr. Clinton DavisAt present, there is an initial delay of five working days in dealing with incoming mail unless the envelope indicates urgency. This delay, which has occurred since late December, results mainly from a seasonal increase in activity and is being eliminated by overtime working.
§ Mr. Dodsworthasked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the average length of time taken by the Companies Registration Office to provide a registration number enabling companies to begin trading.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisThe average time required to complete the process of incorporation is 16 working days, which comprises five days for provisional name approval and 11 days for document examination and formal incorporation. This is comparable with the average time required when the work was done in London, despite a significant increase in the rate of company formation.
§ Mr. Dodsworthasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied with the efficiency of the Companies Registration Office now that it has moved to Cardiff; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisThe transfer of most of the work of Companies Registration Office to Cardiff, which began in April 1976, is now almost complete. Arrangements for the staged transfer of the records of 670,000 companies and for dealing with just under 5,000 additional statutory documents each day, concurrently with the introduction of a microfiche search system, have inevitably been complex; nevertheless I believe that inconvenience to the public has been kept to the minimum and that efficiency of the service will be improved as a result of the move.
§ Mr. Dodsworthasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish in the Official Report a breakdown of the amounts and sources of finance for the Companies Registration Office in Cardiff for the latest available annual period.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisTotal receipts for Companies Registration Office in the Calendar year 1976 amounted to £12.3 million, of which fees for incorporation accounted for £2.7 million, for change594W of name £0.5 million and for annual returns £8.9 million. It is not practicable to provide separate figures for that part of the operation that is carried out in Cardiff.