Companies Legislation
Acts of Parliament
Companies Act 2006
This is now the governing Act for company law in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Act was brought into effect in stages up to 1st. October 2009.
The Act is very long and it is difficult to find material in it. A list of all the Parts, chapters, sections and schedules to the Act is given at the front of the Act but it runs to 59 pages. We have prepared a list of Parts and Chapters only, where you will find the part of the Act you need.
Company Directors' Disqualification Act 1986
This Act allows a court to disqualify a person from being a company director or involved in the management of a company.
Partnership Act 1890
The Act governing the 'common law' partnership
Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000
The Act that brought in the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).
Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004
The Act regulating Community Interest Companies (CICs)
Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015
This Act brought in anumber of important changes, including the abolition of bearer shares, the abolition of corporate directors and the register of people with significant control.
Insolvency law
Insolvency Law, including corporate insolvency and administration, is available from the Insolvency Service website.
Statutory Instruments
Statutory instruments are Regulations, made by Parliament under the authority of an Act of Parliament. A large number have been made under the Companies Act 2006 and other legislation. We have divided them up into sections:
- Accounts, audit and annual returns SIs
- Articles of Association SIs
- Company charges SIs
- Community Interest Companies SIs
- Companies House SIs
- Company and business names SIs
- Directors SIs
- Company forms SIs
- General meeting - shareholders' rights SIs
- Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) SIs
- Minority protection SIs
- Overseas companies SIs
- Partnerships SIs
- Political donations SIs
- Share capital SIs
- Statutory registers and other records SIs
- Striking off SIs
- Trading disclosures SIs
Old legislation
We have retained our collection of legislation that preceded the Companies Act 2006, though most of this is now obsolete. The record is not complete.