The Companies Office is dealing with 500 cases for striking off the register each day following the move to a larger premises, an increase in staff and the introduction of a computerised system.

Mr Paul Haran, secretary general of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, told the Dail Committee of Public Accounts yesterday that the backlog of unprocessed documents had peaked at 600,000 this year before the new system was put in place.

That figure is expected to be reduced to less than 500,000 by the end of 1998 and to be eliminated within 18 months.

The process to strike companies off the register is initiated in cases where annual returns have not been filed for two consecutive years. The office expects to have 23,000 companies removed from the register by the year's end.

Mr Haran pointed out that many registered companies were set up for one business transaction only.