Clause 9
Company Law Reform Bill [Lords]
10:15 am
Margaret Hodge (Minister of State (Industry and the Regions), Department of Trade and Industry; Barking, Labour)
As the hon. Gentleman said, the matter was considered in Committee in the Lords. I appreciate the motivation that underpins the reconsidered amendment before us, because in a sense it seems overly bureaucratic to require that an application for registration must state whether the company’s office is to be registered in England and Wales, in Wales, in Scotland or in Northern Ireland.
As the hon. Gentleman said, the main reason for that is that there are three separate jurisdictions within the UK. He mentioned the need for clarity for the international interests that will be involved in the operation of UK companies, but I put the opposite point to him. For an international organisation or somebody from abroad who wishes to engage with a company in the UK, it will be more helpful to know which jurisdiction they will have to deal with rather than have to attempt to find out for themselves whether the jurisdiction is English and Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish. That will bring clarity to the increasingly international nature of business dealings.