§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many warning letters were issued as a result of investigations by the Insolvency Service in each year since 1997. [42071]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe number of warning letters issued were as follows:
- 1 January 1997 to 31 December 1997: 582
- 1 January 1998 to 31 December 1998: 549
- 1 January 1999 to 31 December 1999: 385
- 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2000: 287
- 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001: 228.
The numbers reflect better policy guidance provided to Official Receivers in 1997–98, who have focused investigatory resources on the more serious offences and director disqualification, both of which lead to court hearings and convictions rather than resulting in warning letters.
§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what checks are in place to ensure an agreed high standard of correspondence is achieved when the Insolvency Service communicates with customers. [42068]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe Insolvency Service's target for replying to correspondence is published in the Annual Report and in leaflets that are available from the Insolvency Service and can also be found on the website, www.insolvency.gsi.gov.uk.
§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are used by her Department to review the(a) performance and (b) efficiency of the Insolvency Service. [42084]
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§ Miss Melanie JohnsonA number of targets are set annually to measure the performance and efficiency of the Insolvency Service. They are published in the Annual Report, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House.
§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many rogue directors have been reported on the Insolvency Service hotline since its inception; and how many of these(a) in total and (b) as a percentage of total calls have resulted in successful prosecutions. [42076]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonBy 28 February 2002, 2,978 calls had been received which generated 1,167 substantive complaints. The remaining complainants failed to provide the information requested in support of their complaints.
By that date, 31 related convictions had been obtained and a further 27 written warnings had been issued. 563 remain under investigation and 450 were not proceeded with due to insufficient evidence.