§ 89 Clause 47, page 53, leave out lines 3 to 6 and insert "without charge—
- (a) of any member of the company; and
- (b) if the company is a public company, of any other person.").
§ Lord LyellMy Lords, during the passage of the Bill through your Lordships' House the Government have reviewed the provisions in the Bill dealing with the inspection and provision of copies of documents. This amendment reflects our conclusion that, in the light of advice from those directly concerned with company administration, it is unnecessary to make provision for payment of any fee for the inspection of company documents. It seems that few companies bother to charge fees, where they are already empowered to do so, simply for the inspection of documents which they are obliged to keep by law for other purposes. This amendment accordingly changes subsection (5)(b) of Clause 47 so that a public company may not charge for inspection by persons other than members of the company of contracts to purchase own shares or contingent purchase contracts. Under Amendment 133 a similar situation will obtain in respect of the inspection of reports by companies of investigations into their membership and, indeed, of registers of interests in shares. I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 89.
§ Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said amendment.—(Lord Lyell.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.