AQW 18308/17-22 Written question to the Minister for the Economy
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail the number of businesses that have filed for insolvency in each of the past five years, broken down by constituency area.
Asked by Claire Sugden MLA on 4 May 2021
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 4 May 2021
- Answer due by
- 19 May 2021
- Answered
- 29 July 202186 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for the Economy
- Priority question
- No
Answer
The number of sole trader business bankruptcies and winding up orders, for limited companies, for the previous five financial years, is detailed in the table below, broken down by constituency.
| 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/2020 | 2020/21 | ||||||
| Constituency | Sole Trader | Winding Up Orders | Sole Trader | Winding Up Orders | Sole Trader | Winding Up Orders | Sole Trader | Winding Up Orders | Sole Trader | Winding Up Orders |
| Belfast East | 14 | 18 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| Belfast North | 16 | 19 | 30 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| Belfast South | 27 | 32 | 16 | 22 | 16 | 44 | 20 | 26 | 0 | 1 |
| Belfast West | 21 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| East Antrim | 27 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 7 | 18 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| East Londonderry | 28 | 18 | 32 | 4 | 27 | 11 | 19 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Fermanagh & South Tyrone | 18 | 16 | 36 | 12 | 18 | 12 | 38 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Foyle | 21 | 13 | 16 | 8 | 24 | 9 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Lagan Valley | 30 | 13 | 21 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 19 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Mid Ulster | 25 | 15 | 40 | 6 | 19 | 2 | 22 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Newry & Armagh | 35 | 27 | 42 | 17 | 29 | 15 | 36 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| North Antrim | 22 | 4 | 32 | 4 | 24 | 5 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| North Down | 25 | 13 | 26 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| South Antrim | 29 | 15 | 32 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| South Down | 32 | 10 | 31 | 6 | 28 | 11 | 19 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Strangford | 21 | 7 | 23 | 7 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Upper Bann | 25 | 19 | 27 | 9 | 34 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| West Tyrone | 26 | 13 | 34 | 11 | 18 | 8 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Outside NI | 2* | 1** | ||||||||
| Total | 442 | 268 | 476 | 156 | 345 | 186 | 345 | 229 | 1 | 5 |
*The High Court was satisfied that the bankrupts’ centre of main business interest was in Northern Ireland.
**This winding up order was rescinded and subsequently made in the correct jurisdiction.
The low number of insolvency cases in 2020/21 was a result of two main circumstances arising from the pandemic. Firstly, the High Court was unable to operate at normal capacity as a result of COVID restrictions which significantly reduced the number of bankruptcy and winding-up orders that it could consider.
Secondly, my Department introduced both permanent and temporary measures to provide assistance and support to companies and mutual societies during the crisis within the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020.
This Act temporarily prevents statutory demands, served from 1 March 2020, from forming the basis of a winding-up petition. In addition, it prohibits a winding-up petition being presented against a company where the debt was due to circumstances arising from the pandemic.
These temporary provisions will be in place until 30 September 2021.