As a result, it announced this week, “it will be easier for businesses and members of the public to research and scrutinise the activities and ownership of companies and connected individuals.”
In the financial year 2013-14, it says, customers searching the Companies House website spent £8.7 million accessing company information on the register.
Companies House chief executive Tim Moss (pictured) last June called in a CSW interview for the government to decide whether it wants to radically increase the amount of data that it publishes free of charge – something requiring “a different funding model” to pay for publication – or would rather “get a return on the asset and maximise value.”
In a press release, the organisation called this week’s announcement a “considerable step forward in improving corporate transparency” and said it will “open up opportunities for entrepreneurs to come up with innovative ways of using the information.”
The commitment is part of a Public Data Group (PDG) Summer Statement that sets out a range of activities and planned data releases by Companies House, Land Registry, Met Office and Ordnance Survey. These include Land Registry expanding its monthly property price data to include commercial properties, and Ordnance Survey supporting innovation around flooding issues through the release of river network information.