The role of the Independent Adjudicators for Companies House is to investigate complaints about delay, discourtesy and mistakes and the way in which these complaints have been handled at Companies House.

The Adjudicators will also review written appeals against the levying of late filing penalties, although as Parliament has laid down exactly what the Registrar of Companies can and cannot do, the scope for discretion is very limited. The late filing penalty appeals process is clearly set out in the Companies House information on Late Filing Penalties - Appeals; please review this guidance before writing about a late filing penalty.

Dame Elizabeth Neville, DBE QPM, retired as Chief Constable of Wiltshire Constabulary in 2004 and is currently the Independent Complaints Assessor for the agencies of the Department for Transport which includes DVLA, Driving Standards Agency, Vehicle Certification Agency, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and the Highways Agency. Dame Elizabeth is a Non Executive Director of the Serious Fraud Office and a member of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority.

Jessica Pacey, LLM (Canon Law), MBA is a Tribunal judge, hearing appeals in the first tier Tribunal of the Social Entitlement chamber, and the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, hearing and determining first instance appeals on human rights, asylum and immigration applications. Jessica is a visiting Lecturer in Law at the University of Nottingham and a senior Lecturer in Law at Nottingham Law School.

Leslie Cuthbert, LLB, LLM graduated with an LLB from Brunel University and a LLM in Criminal Litigation from the Inns Court School of Law. Leslie has sat as a Road User Charging Adjudicator hearing appeals against London's congestion charge, and has acted as a Tribunal Judge for the Mental Health Review Tribunal. Leslie regularly carries out training on Advanced Investigative Practices in criminal, employment and regulatory investigations, including dealing with complaints, both in the UK and abroad. Other appointments include Vice Chairman of South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and sitting on the editorial board of 'Tribunals Journal'. Leslie is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

The Adjudicators cannot deal with the following:

• Questions about company law
• The exercise of discretion by the Secretary of State
• Complaints being considered by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
• Any case involving criminal proceedings
• Complaints more than six months old.

Companies House must have the opportunity to resolve any dispute, so before being referred to the Adjudicators, a complaint must have followed all the internal Companies House procedures and therefore must have been considered by the Director of Customer Delivery.

PLEASE DO NOT WRITE UNLESS THIS PROCEDURE HAS BEEN FOLLOWED.

After receiving an adjudication, if you are still unhappy you can contact your Member of Parliament and ask that the matter be referred to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

If you are also unhappy regarding the result of an adjudication in relation to a late filing penalty you can write and ask the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (or the Registrar of Companies for Scottish Companies) to look at your case.

Contact details:

Companies House Independent Adjudicators
c/o Companies House
Crown Way
Cardiff
CF14 3UZ