Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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316. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an update on the current suspension of the involuntary strike-off process by the Companies Registration Office; the reasons for the ongoing suspension; when the process is expected to resume to ensure compliance with annual return obligations under the Companies Act 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28558/25]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Due to difficulties with the enforcement module of the CRO IT system, the CRO suspended its involuntary strike-off programme early in 2024. The CRO has since recommenced involuntary strike off on a limited basis. The current focus is on companies who have no registered directors and will subsequently move on to companies who have failed to file annual returns and those who have failed to register beneficial ownership information with the Registrar of Beneficial Ownership.

Work is ongoing to finalise the changes necessary to address the IT issue and the involuntary strike-off system is expected to return to normal volumes in Q3 2025.

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 and the CRO received a total of €9.7m in late filing fees during 2024. Where appropriate, a company filing a late Annual Return also automatically loses its audit exemption.