§ Mr. Trotterasked the Minister for Trade in how many cases in each year since section 9 of the Insolvency Act 1976 came into force particulars of directors of insolvent companies have been referred to him under the Act for consideration of their being debarred from acting as directors of companies; how many cases are still under consideration and in how many cases directors have been debarred.
§ Dr. Vaughan[pursuant to his reply, 10 May 1982, c. 178]: Since 1 October 1977, when Section 9 of the Insolvency Act 1976 came into operation, reports solely concerned with consideration of applications for disqualifying Orders against 82 directors have been submitted to the Department, as follows:
Numbers 1978 13 1979 13 1980 31 1981 21 *1982 4 * to date. Reports in relation to 51 persons are under consideration by the Department or its legal advisers; it has been decided in relation to 28 to take no action; and three persons have been disqualified by orders of the court from acting as directors or being concerned in the management of any limited company for five years.
§ Mr. Trotterasked the Minister for Trade in how many cases in each of the last five years official receivers have submitted reports suggesting that (a) directors of limited companies and (b) bankrupts have (i) committed offences under the insolvency laws and (ii) committed other offences; how many prosecutions have been brought in each year in each category and how many convictions resulted.
§ Dr. Vaughan[pursuant to his reply, 10 May 1982, c. 178]: Official receivers submitted reports alleging the commission of criminal offences by bankrupts and by officers of limited companies in the following number of cases:
Bankruptcies Compulsory Liquidations 1977 388 75 1978 326 111 1979 274 136 1980 266 141 1981 279 173 It is not possible readily to analyse the offences alleged, but statistics covering the prosecutions which were mounted following those reports are published annually in the bankruptcy annual general report and the annual report on companies, the latest of which cover the period down to 31 December 1980. The provisional figures for the year to 31 December 1981 are as follows:
211W
Insolvency offences charged convictions Other offences charged convictions Directors etc. of companies in compulsory liquidation 128 79 29 29 Bankrupts 273 235 153 120