28th November 2025 |
Open Consultations
Consultation regarding proposed changes to the Companies Act 2014, the Co-operative Societies Bill and the Registration of Limited Partnerships and Business Names Bill.
Subject of the public consultation
The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is seeking the views of stakeholders and interested parties on proposed changes to the Companies Act 2014 in relation to access to the usual residential addresses of company Directors and Secretaries.
It is also proposed that similar changes be reflected in the drafting of the Co-operative Societies Bill and the Registration of Limited Partnership and Business Names Bill.
Background
Under the Companies Act 2014, companies must keep and make publicly available a Register of Directors and Secretaries containing, amongst other information, the directors and secretaries (Relevant Officers) “usual residential address”. Company filings with the Companies Registration Office (CRO) in relation to incorporation, appointment / change of directors and annual returns also include the “usual residential addresses” of relevant officers which is also publicly available.
The Company Law Review Group recently submitted a “Report on the Review of the provisions pertaining to the disclosure of an officer’s residential addresses having regard to company transparency requirements and GDPR” to Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and Niamh Smyth, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation. The report is available on Publications - CLRG.
Proposed amendments to the Companies Act 2014
It is intended to amend the Companies Act 2014 to provide that a company’s relevant officer may at any time provide to the company a “contact address”, located in the State, in addition to their “usual residential address” already supplied, for the purposes of access by the public and at which documents may be effectively served on the relevant officer.
The “contact address" will be the only address published on the company’s Register of Directors and Secretaries and the Register of Members, and on the Register of Companies maintained by the CRO. However, the company and CRO will continue to retain a record of the “usual residential address”.
Access to the "usual residential address" will be restricted and will only be available on the Register of Companies to relevant entities as prescribed by the Minister. However, a court may order the disclosure of the “usual residential address” by the company or by the CRO to third parties, where the “contact address” is not effective for service for the purpose of access to justice.
It is intended to repeal the Companies Act (Section 150) (No. 2) Regulations 2015. A relevant officer previously granted an exemption under the 2015 Regulations may continue to use the alternate address as the “contact address” but will be required to provide “a usual residential address”.
The changes will not have retrospective effect so the “usual residential address” of relevant officers will continue to be available on previous filings with the CRO.
It is intended to provide that the Minister should prescribe the relevant entities, to whom disclosure, from the Register of Companies, of the relevant officer’s “usual residential address” should be permitted would include law enforcement, regulatory authorities and others. The proposed list of such entities is based on the current Tier 1 users of the Register of Beneficial Ownership of Companies and Industrial and Provident Societies, as provided for under the RBO Regulations.
Implications for the Co-operative Societies Bill and the Registration of Limited Partnerships and Business Names Bill
A similar approach to that set out under the Companies Act is proposed to be reflected in the drafting of these Bills.
Submissions
The consultation is divided into three parts and responses can address any or all elements:
- Section A - the Companies Act 2014
- Section B - the Co-operative Societies Bill
- Section C - the Registration of Limited Partnerships and Business Names Bill
Further information is available in the public consultation document below.
Submissions in response to the questions posed should be provided in the response template document below, addressing any or all parts, and emailed to companylawconsultation@enterprise.gov.ie.
Closing date
Submissions should be forwarded no later than 5pm on 19 December 2025.
Freedom of Information and Data Protection
Freedom of Information Act 2014 and publication of submissions
Your attention is drawn to the fact that information provided by you in submissions is subject to release by the department under the Freedom of Information Act 2014. In responding to this public consultation, all individuals and organisations should clearly indicate where their submission contains personal information, commercially sensitive information, or confidential information which they would not wish to be made publicly available by being published on the department’s website or released by the department pursuant to the receipt of an FOI Request under the Freedom of Information Act 2014.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018
The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is subject to the provisions of the GDPR and Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018. In this context, the department will treat all personal information which you provide in submissions as part of this public consultation process with the highest standards of security in line with our data protection compliance requirements. We would like to draw your attention to the department's Data Protection Privacy Notice which is available on our website and explains how and when we collect personal data, why we do so and how we treat this information. It also explains your rights in relation to the collection of your personal information and how you can exercise your rights under data protection laws.
Topics:
Companies Act 2014, Company Law, Company and Corporate Law