Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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7. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the current length of time it is taking for documents to be scanned and uploaded on the CRO system; the reason for any delays; if further resources have been ringfenced for the CRO section in order to address any such delays in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41723/21]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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The majority of documents filed with the Companies Registration Office are uploaded online by presenters. In 2020, over 81% of all documents filed with CRO were filed online. Online filing has increased to 88% so far in 2021, largely due to the introduction of a new IT system in December 2020, which significantly increased the range of documents that can be filed electronically with the CRO. The new IT system is designed to provide improved and faster user experience for presenters and a fully paperless interaction with the CRO for certain transactions, including the most common ones carried out by companies such as the filing of annual returns and the changing of directors and their details. The introduction of a fully paperless system for these transactions provides certainty of delivery for companies and eliminates the need for CRO staff to scan and upload related paper documents.

The CRO receives, processes and registers over 170 form types, covering all aspects of the lifecycle of a company and provides regular updates of current processing times for the most frequently filed forms on the CRO website and via Twitter.

I understand that some forms and documents are still received by the CRO in paper format and that there are no particular delays in scanning or uploading this material. I have been informed that, in general, such documents are input into the system by the CRO within 72 hours of receipt.