The Tβnaiste, Ms Harney, yesterday launched an information leaflet on the duties of a company secretary. The leaflet, which is available from the Companies Registration Office (CRO), was drafted by the CRO in collaboration with the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.

At the launch, Ms Harney paid tribute to the CRO in achieving "a remarkable turnaround" in the number of companies filing annual returns. In 1997, just 36 per cent of companies did so, but this figure increased to around 92 per cent in 2000, she said.