HC Deb 20 October 1981 vol 10 c236
Mr. Peter Rees

I beg to move amendment No. 70, in page 85, line 10, leave out from 'period' to 'after' in line 11.

Mr. Deputy Speaker: With this it will be convenient to discuss the following amendments:

Government amendment No. 71.

Amendment No. 184, in page 85, line 12, at end insert— 5(A)(a) If any investigation carried out by a company in pursuance of a requisition under this section has not been concluded within a period of fifty-six days from the date of the requisition the company or the requisitionists may give notice in writing to the company to prepare within fourteen days an interim report on the investigation and, in the event, the provisions of sub-sections (5) (7) and (9) of this section shall apply to the interim report save that for the purposes prescribed by subsection (5) the interim report shall be made available within a period of fourteen days from the date of the completion of the report. (b) The procedures set out in paragraph (a) of this sub-section may be invoked for each successive period of 56 days from the date of the requisition'.

Government amendments Nos. 72 to 76, and Government amendment No. 78.

Mr. Rees

When the clause to which these amendments relate was discussed in Standing Committee, the hon. Member for Hackney, Central (Mr. Davis) made what I think my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary described at the time as a "hopeful and interesting" suggestion that companies should be required to make an interim report within a certain period if they had not made a final report. It was in deference to this suggestion that we put down our amendments. I hope that they will commend themselves to the House.

Amendment agreed to.

Amendments made: No. 71, in page 85, line 12, at end insert— '(5A) Where—

  1. a company undertakes an investigation in pursuance of a requisition under this section; and
  2. that investigation is not concluded before the end of the period of three months beginning with the date immediately following the date of the deposit of the requisition;
it shall be the duty of the company to cause to be prepared, in respect of that period and each successive period of three months ending before the conclusion of the investigation, an interim report of the information received during that period in pursuance of the investigation, and each such interim report shall be made available at the registered office of the company within a reasonable period after the end of the period of three months to which it relates. (5B) The period for making any report prepared under this section available as required by subsection (5) or (5A) above shall not exceed fifteen days.'.

No. 72, in page 85, line 13, leave out 'in pursuance of subsection (5) above' and insert 'under this section'.

No. 74, in page 85, line 20, leave out 'the report' and insert 'any report prepared under this section'.

No. 75, in page 85, line 25, leave out 'subsection (5) above' and insert 'this section'.

No. 76, in page 85, line 34, after '(5)' insert 'or (5A)'.

No. 77, in page 85, line 35, leave out 'ten' and insert 'six'.

No. 78, in page 85, line 39, at end insert '(5A)'.—[Mr. Peter Rees.]

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