This proposal by the Government’s Company Registration Agency is deeply worrying - Jo Stevens

[labourpress]

Jo Stevens MP, Labour’s Shadow Solicitor General, commenting on proposals that Companies House is considering deleting dissolved companies’ data after six years rather than the current 20 years, said:

“This proposal by the Government’s Company Registration Agency is deeply worrying.

"From the Serious Fraud Office to local police forces, access to this data is essential in their  investigation of crime. 

"It’s also usually the only reliable and historical source of evidence for lawyers representing victims with serious and life-threatening asbestos disease and the families of those who have died from asbestos disease, to prove who they worked for when the exposure occurred.

"The cost of storing this data is negligible in comparison to the public policy benefits it brings.

"This Tory Government keeps saying its serious about anti-corruption and access to justice. These proposals do nothing to support that claim. They do the opposite.”