Inform Direct will suggest if a record for an officer or PSC is likely to be a duplicate and need correction.
The duplicate will be identified by comparing the name, the role (if an officer) and where available the date of birth.
When the system detects a likely duplicate an alert will appear on the Officers and/or the PSC tab. See below for an example where the system has detected that Harry Brown has been appointed a secretary twice.
If you see a duplicate alert you should correct the position by terminating or remove one of the duplicate records.
Which duplicate record should be terminated?
It may be obvious but here are some aspects to consider:
- The date of appointment. If one has been added with the correct appointment date, then another added as a duplicate, removing the latter would leave just the correct record in place.
- Keep the record with up to date details. It may be possible that one has been kept up to date with the correct address information, that is likely to be the best option to keep.
- In the case of a PSC, retain the one which has the correct control reasons. If one has out of date control reasons, or mentions just share percentage held but not the voting rights, it is usually best to remove the incorrect record.
How should the duplicate record be terminated?
The removal of officers or PSCs are simple processes within Inform Direct. See
However, it is worth noting upon receiving the submission Companies House will remove the first individual who matches the name and date of birth provided. This can lead to rejected submissions with the response of 'There are two people with the same name and date of birth'. Effectively, Companies House cannot always identify to which of the two records it relates.
To avoid this risk, it may be better to use Companies House Webfiling to remove the duplicate record. Our regular syncs will then pick up the termination.