Disqualified directors

SIR – As the current chairman of the Insolvency Service Board, I would like to assure Nicholas Ward (Letters, May 1) that, over the decade or more since he stepped down as a board member, the focus of our work to identify and disqualify unfit company directors has radically changed.

Our investigators follow the evidence and take action where it is in the public interest to do so. More than 1,200 directors of small and large companies were disqualified last year.

That the agency is targeting serious cases can most clearly be seen in the average period of disqualification: 5.7 years. This is a real deterrent against abusing the protections afforded by limited liability trading which is essential to maintaining economic confidence and protecting the interests of creditors. Stephen Allinson

Chairman, Insolvency Service Board London SW1