§ Sir W. Smithers84, 85 and 86. asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) in how many cases his Department has appointed competent inspectors under Section 164 of the Companies Act, 1948, to investigate the affairs of an English company; and to what extent his Department has required applicants to give security for payment of the costs of the investigation;
(2) how many inspectors have been appointed by his Department under the provisions of Section 165 of the Companies Act, 1948;
(3) in how many cases his Department has supported applications to the court for the appointment by the court of inspectors to investigate the affairs of a company under Section 165 of the Companies Act, 1948.
§ Mr. BottomleyThe Board of Trade have appointed inspectors under the Companies Act, 1948, or before its consolidation under the Companies Act, 1947, as follows:
Under Section 164 of the Act of 1948, in the case of two companies having a share capital. In one of these cases the applicants were required to give security for £100.
Under Section 165 (a) (i) in one case in which a company limited by guarantee had by special resolution declared that its affairs ought to be investigated by inspectors appointed by the Board.
Under Section 43 (i) (a) (ii) of the Act of 1947 and Section 165 (a) (ii) of the Act of 1948 respectively, in two cases where the court by order had made a similar declaration, one of them being a case in which the Board had themselves applied to the court for an order.
Under Section 165 (b), in the case of eight companies having a share capital.