Companies Act 1985

[709 F1 Inspection, &c. of records kept by the registrar. E+W+S

(1) [F2 Subject to section 723B,]]Any person may inspect any records kept by the registrar for the purposes of the Companies Acts and may require—

(a) a copy, in such form as the registrar considers appropriate, of any information contained in those records, or

(b) a certified copy of, or extract from, any such record.

(2) The right of inspection extends to the originals of documents delivered to the registrar in legible form only where the record kept by the registrar of the contents of the document is illegible or unavailable.

(3) A copy of or extract from a record kept at any of the offices for the registration of companies in England and Wales or Scotland, certified in writing by the registrar (whose official position is unecessary to prove) to be an accurate record of the contents of any document delivered to him under the Companies Acts, is in all legal proceedings admissible in evidence as of equal validity with the original document and as eveidnce of any fact stated therein of which direct oral evidence would be admissible.

[F3 In England and Wales this is subject, in the case of proceedings to which section 69 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 applies, to compliance with any applicable rules of court under subsection (2) of that section (which relates to evidence from computer records).]

(4) Copies of or extracts from records furnished by the registrar may, instead of being certified by him in writing to be an accurate record, be sealed with his official seal.

(5) No process for compelling the production of a record kept by the registrar shall issue from any court except with the leave of the court; and any such process shall bear on it a statement that it is issued with the leave of the court.

Textual Amendments

F1 Ss. 709 - 710A substituted (1.7.1991) for ss. 709 and 710 by Companies Act 1989 (c. 40, SIF 27), ss. 126(2), 213(2); S.I. 1991/488, arts. 2(1), 3

F2 Words in s. 709(1) inserted (19.6.2001 for certain purposes and otherwise 2.4.2002) by 2001 c. 16, ss. 45(4), 138(2); S.I. 2001/2223, art. 2(2)(c); S.I. 2002/533, art. 3

F3 Words in s. 709(3) repealed (E.W.) (14.4.2000) by 1999 c. 23, s. 67, Sch. 6 (with Sch. 7 paras. 3(3), 5(2)); S.I. 2000/1034, art. 2(c)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 709 applied (with modifications) (6.4.2001) by S.I. 2001/1090, reg. 4, Sch. 2 Pt. I

C2 S. 709(1)(3) amended (12.2.1992) by S.I. 1992/225, reg. 121, Sch. 8 para. 10.