Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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613. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on whether there is enough awareness in the business community about the implementations of the Companies Act 2014 (details supplied). [2636/17]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Companies Act 2014, a seminal piece of legislative consolidation and reform, was commenced on 1 June 2015.  The timely commencement of this Act was complemented by the issuing of a number of statutory instruments to facilitate, among other things, orderly registration, court procedures, electronic filing, etc. An Explanatory Memorandum to the Act was published alongside Tables of Destination and Origins to assist company law users with understanding and navigation of the Act. Both are available free of charge on my Department’s website (www.djei.ie).

Prior to and at the time of commencement, the Companies Registration Office (CRO) ran a number of information campaigns in the national newspapers; urban radio and digital media. In addition, a number of articles were published in the Chamber of Commerce’s Business Editorial Quarterly, a publication which is circulated to all of its members. The Registrar of Companies wrote directly to every company director in April 2015 and updated the CRO website to comprehensively address issues arising from the implementation of the Act.

The Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) also issued a number of information booklets (available free of charge aton issues ranging from the principal duties of directors and company secretaries to those of companies’ members and shareholders.  

In addition, my Department provided a number of presentations to various stakeholders in a number of locations across Ireland; participated in seminars and workshops and engaged directly with representative organisations on issues that may have arisen during the transition period and implementation of the Act.

I am satisfied that there is good awareness concerning the implementation of the Companies Act 2014 in the business community. This is evidenced by the fact, for example, that by 30 November 2016 (the date when the transition period from the ‘old’ company law to the ‘new’ company law came to an end and any private limited company that required an objects clause had to actively re-register with the CRO) over 45,000 Designated Activity Companies (dacs) have formally re-registered with the Companies Registration Office pursuant to the Act.