Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the Environment Agency’s 2024 Event Duration Monitoring dataset, published in March 2025.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.
The Environment Agency published its annual Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) data on 27 March 2025, which set out details of storm overflow spills in 2024. The regulators are assessing this data and will not let companies get away with illegal activity; where breaches are found, they will not hesitate to hold companies to account.
Since 1 January 2025, water companies are required to publish data related to discharges from all storm overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 introduces a duty for water companies to publish data related to discharges from all emergency overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. This will match the pre-existing duty for storm overflows.
The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will make recommendations to shape further action to transform how our water system works and clean up our waterways for good. A public Call for Evidence closed on 23 April, with all interested parties invited to share their views. The review's final recommendations will be published and shared with the UK and Welsh Governments this summer.
This forms the next stage in the Government’s approach to ensuring we have a sufficiently robust and stable regulatory framework to attract the investment needed to clean up our waterways, speed up infrastructure delivery to support house building and restore public confidence in the sector.
Looking forward, the government is also committed to taking a systematic approach to improving drainage and wastewater systems. This means looking at the bigger picture – how these systems affect the environment, local communities, and other key priorities like flood prevention, economic growth, and urban development. By doing this, we can make sure policies and services work better together to deliver real benefits for people and nature.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce sewage in rivers.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.
That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Act, which will strengthen regulation, including delivering new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bringing criminal charges against persistent law breakers.
We are also carrying out a full review of the water sector. The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will make recommendations to shape further legislation to transform how our water system works and clean up our waterways for good. A public Call for Evidence went live on 27 February for 8 weeks, with all interested parties invited to share their views. This Call for Evidence will play a key role in shaping the Commission’s thinking going forward and into the review's final recommendations to the UK and Welsh Governments.
This forms the next stage in the Government’s approach to ensuring we have a sufficiently robust and stable regulatory framework to attract the investment needed to clean up our waterways, speed up infrastructure delivery to support house building and restore public confidence in the sector.
As part of Price Review 24, Water companies are investing £12 billion, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales, with OfWat requiring them to reduce spills by 45% compared to 2021 levels.
The regulators will continue to take action if any illegality is identified. They have launched the largest criminal and civil investigations into water company sewage discharges ever. As part of their investigations, Ofwat has proposed fines of £168 million against three water companies. This investigation is a priority for Ofwat, and it will continue to work as quickly as possible on their investigations into all remaining companies.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to use the provisions in the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 to reveal the beneficial owners of purpose-built student accommodation.
Answered by Michelle Donelan
The Register of Overseas Entities forms part of the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022, which received Royal Assent on 15 March 2022. Once the register opens for registrations, new acquisitions by overseas entities, including of purpose-built student accommodation, will have to be registered across the UK.
Overseas companies already owning land in England and Wales, and Scotland, will be required to register their beneficial owners within six months. This will already include the beneficial owners of purpose-built student accommodation, if applicable. Any overseas entity disposing of its property holdings between 28 February 2022 and the end of the transition period will be required to provide information to Companies House about the beneficial owners of the entity at the time of disposal. This includes where the disposal relates to any student accommodation.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department holds data on the number of RP06 forms submitted to Companies House in 2021.
Answered by Paul Scully
Companies House holds the data on the number of RP606 forms submitted to them. 2960 RP06 forms were submitted during the 2021 calendar year.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will include sole directors of limited companies in the Self-employment Income Support Scheme by matching Companies House officer records to dividend payments declared on limited company annual accounts.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said there will be no further changes or extensions to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). However, other forms of support are available for directors of limited companies.
Those who pay themselves a salary may be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The CJRS is available to employers, including owner-managers; individuals paying themselves a salary through a PAYE scheme are eligible.
The CJRS and SEISS continue to be just two elements of a comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support,?increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.
Asked by: Lord Hanson of Flint (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) RP02a and (b) RP07 forms Companies House has received in each of the last five years.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The table below shows how many (a) RP02A and (b) how many RP07 forms were received in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Year | RP02 Received | RP07 Received |
2014 | 3,499 | N/A |
2015 | 4,791 | N/A |
2016 | 5,189 | 2,969 |
2017 | 5,981 | 6,804 |
2018 | 5,591 | 8,070 |
Figures for RP02 include both RP02a and RP02b, as historical statistics are not broken down. However, RP02b forms are estimated to be less than 10% of total number of RP02 forms received.
Figures for RP07 began in April 2016, which is when the relevant legislation was implemented.
Asked by: Baroness Hodge of Barking (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in how many cases where HMRC raised objection to the striking off of a company by the Register of Companies was that objection acted upon by the Registrar of Companies in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15, (d) 2015-16 and (e) 2016-17; in how many such cases was additional tax revenue raised as a result of that objection in each such year; and how much additional revenue was raised as a consequence in each such year.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
Please find figures below for the number of HMRC Objections to the dissolution process actioned by Companies House in each of the financial years requested. Please note that all HMRC objections received are actioned.
Period | Number of HMRC Objections actioned. |
2012-2013 | 109,821 |
2013-2014 | 90,947 |
2014-2015 | 59,336 |
2015-2016 | 94,280 |
2016-2017 | 107,372 |
Please note: The information provided forms part of Companies House’s management information and is unaudited. Therefore, it is subject to change and should be used for indicative purposes only.
HMRC do not separately estimate the tax gap due to companies being struck off. However, the HMRC Trust Statement contains figures for tax written off each year. Around 90% of the amounts written off relate to insolvencies.
These figures differ from those provided by my right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury in the answer to PQ UIN 126607 for a number of reasons. In particular, timing differences in the recognition of objections from HMRC, situations where the application to strike off has been abandoned by the time HMRC’s objection is processed and cases where HMRC are required to issue multiple objections in respect of the same winding up due the length of time involved.
Asked by: Baroness Hodge of Barking (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that complete and accurate data is provided to Companies House when a UK entity, such as a Scottish Limited Partnership, is formed.
Answered by Margot James
When Scottish Limited Partnerships are formed they must file the appropriate forms with the Registrar of Companies for Scotland. Companies House will ensure that the forms are correctly completed and meet the criteria for acceptance.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many UK companies have reported information on people with significant control to Companies House since 30 June 2016.
Answered by Margot James
As at 13.50 on 20 July 2016, there were 96,857 companies on the live register (excluding dissolved companies) that had reported information on people with significant control to Companies House since 30 June 2016.
The information provided forms part of Companies House Management Information and has not undergone any formal audit. This information has been extracted from the live database, which is being continually updated and it is subject to change. The number above is therefore a snapshot of the register.
Since 30 June, companies have been required to provide information on their PSCs to Companies House on incorporation or as their Confirmation Statement (formerly the annual return) becomes due. The register will therefore build up over time and be complete from 29 June 2017.