asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied that the number of staff in the Insolvency Service is adequate.

I am aware of demands placed upon the staff of the Insolvency Service by the large numbers of bankruptcy and winding-up cases over the past two or three years. Additional staff resources have been made available and increases in monetary limits under Section 1 of the Insolvency Act 1976 should help reduce the work load. The effect of these and other measures on the adequacy of staff numbers is currently being considered in a staffing review of the whole Insolvency Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the number of prosecutions instigated by the Insolvency Service in each of the last five years.

Prosecutions for offences contrary to the Companies Acts, Bankruptcy Acts, other statutes and common law, arising wholly or partially out of investigations by the Insolvency Service, are undertaken by the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Department of Trade and police authorities. Of such prosecutions, those undertaken by the Department of Trade under the Bankruptcy Acts and Companies Acts in respect of bankruptcies and liquidations during the relevant years are as follows:—