§ Mr. Trotterasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been recovered by the Inland Revenue and the value added tax authorities in each of the last five years from insolvent companies and individuals by way of preferential debts under the insolvency laws.
§ Mr. RidleyThe information requested in respect of value added tax is on record only for the last two financial years. In respect of the year 1979–80 the preferential element has been estimated from the total debts recovered. Information in respect of previous years can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
1979–80* 1980–81 1981–82 thousand thousand thousand Individuals in bankruptcy and companies in liquidation 2,524 2,927 3,953 Companies in receivership 2,199 2,833 5,728 * Estimated. The Inland Revenue does not maintain statistics that distinguish between preferential and non-preferential amounts. The approximate total recoveries from insolvencies dealt with at its central enforcement office have been as follows:
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Amounts recovered thousand 1977–78 3,400 1978–79 4,500 1979–80 4,800 1980–81 5,200 1981–82 6,400 Substantial amounts have also been recovered from insolvencies dealt with at local collection offices but no separate record of these amounts is kept.