Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 25 together.

I thank the Deputy for his questions. Companies can be struck off the companies' register on either a voluntary or involuntary basis. Voluntary strike-off is proceeding as normal, with companies meeting the criteria being struck off on an ongoing basis by the Companies Registration Office. Involuntary strike-off by the CRO arises when companies are not meeting the requirements of the Companies Act 2014 with respect to registered directors and the annual filing of returns.

Due to difficulties with the enforcement module of the CRO’s IT system, the CRO suspended its involuntary strike-off programme early in 2024. Involuntary strike-off has since recommenced on a curtailed basis, as the underlying IT issues have still not been fully resolved. The primary operational issues that have arisen as a result of the IT problem are that the involuntary strike-off process currently needs more manual checks put in place than with a fully automated process, and as a result, fewer companies have been struck off.

The CRO continues to monitor companies for compliance with their statutory filing obligations and to enforce filing obligations under the Companies Act 2014. All annual returns filed late are subject to a late filing fee of €100 for the first day and €3 per day thereafter. Where appropriate, a company filing a late annual return also automatically loses its audit exemption. The late filing fee regime is operating as normal and the CRO received a total of €9.7 million in late filing fees during 2024.

The current involuntary strike-off programme is focusing on companies that have no registered directors, which is a breach of the Companies Act. When the programme has been completed, the focus will move to companies that have failed to file annual returns and those that have failed to register beneficial ownership information with the registrar.

The CRO has spent a total of €313,567 to date in 2025 on support and maintenance for its IT system. The sum is in respect of the total cost of support and maintenance for the first quarter of the year for the CRO and also the offices of the Registry of Friendly Societies and the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership of Companies and Industrial and Provident Societies, and includes the cost of fixing bugs that arise.

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