The Smart Meter Communication Licensee Administration (England and Wales) Rules 2020

1. Introductory Text

2. PART 1 Introductory provisions

   1. 1. Citation and commencement

   2. 2. Construction and interpretation

   3. 3. “Debt”, “liability”

   4. 4. Application

3. PART 2 Appointment of SMCL administrator by court

   1. 5. Form of application

   2. 6. Proposed SMCL administrator’s statement and consent to act

   3. 7. Witness statement in support of the application

   4. 8. Filing of application

   5. 9. Service of application

   6. 10. Notice to officers charged with distress or other legal process

   7. 11. The hearing

   8. 12. Notice of SMCL administration order

4. PART 3 Process of SMCL administration

   1. 13. Notification and advertisement of SMCL administrator’s appointment

   2. 14. Notice requiring statement of affairs

   3. 15. Statement of affairs: content

   4. 16. Statement of concurrence

   5. 17. Filing of statement of affairs etc.

   6. 18. Limited disclosure

   7. 19. Release from duty to submit statement of affairs; extension of time

   8. 20. Expenses of statement of affairs

   9. 21. SMCL administrator’s proposals

   10. 22. Statement of pre-smart meter communication licensee administration costs

   11. 23. Ancillary provisions about delivery of SMCL administrator’s proposals

   12. 24. Limited disclosure of SMCL administrator’s statement of proposals

   13. 25. Revision of the SMCL administrator’s proposals

   14. 26. Reports

5. PART 4 Meetings

   1. CHAPTER 1 Creditors’ meetings

      1. 27. Creditors’ meetings generally

      2. 28. Quorum at meeting of creditors

      3. 29. The chair at meetings

      4. 30. Creditors’ meeting for nomination of alternative liquidator

      5. 31. Entitlement to vote

      6. 32. Admission and rejection of claims

      7. 33. Secured creditors

      8. 34. Hire-purchase, conditional sale and chattel leasing agreements

      9. 35. Resolutions

      10. 36. Minutes

   2. CHAPTER 2 Company meetings

      1. 37. Venue and conduct of company meeting

   3. CHAPTER 3 Remote attendance

      1. 38. Remote attendance at meetings

      2. 39. Action where person excluded

      3. 40. Indication to excluded person

      4. 41. Complaint

   4. CHAPTER 4 Notice of meetings

      1. 42. Notice of meetings by advertisement only

      2. 43. Non-receipt of notice of meeting

6. PART 5 Disposal of charged property

   1. 44. Authority to dispose of property

7. PART 6 Expenses of the SMCL administration

   1. 45. Expenses

   2. 46. Priority of expenses of SMCL administration

   3. 47. Pre-smart meter communication licensee administration costs

8. PART 7 Claims by and distributions to creditors

   1. CHAPTER 1 Machinery of proving a debt

      1. 48. Proving a debt

      2. 49. Provable debts

      3. 50. Costs of proving

      4. 51. SMCL administrator to allow inspection of proofs

      5. 52. New SMCL administrator appointed

      6. 53. Admission and rejection of proofs for dividend

      7. 54. Appeal against decision on proof

      8. 55. Withdrawal or variation of proof

      9. 56. Exclusion of proof by the court

   2. CHAPTER 2 Quantification of claims

      1. 57. Estimate of value of debt

      2. 58. Discounts

      3. 59. Mutual credits and set off

      4. 60. Debt in foreign currency

      5. 61. Payments of a periodical nature

      6. 62. Interest

      7. 63. Debt payable at future time

      8. 64. Voluntary surrender of security

      9. 65. Value of security

      10. 66. Surrender for non-disclosure

      11. 67. Redemption by SMCL administrator

      12. 68. Test of security’s value

      13. 69. Realisation of security by creditor

   3. CHAPTER 3 Distributions

      1. 70. Distribution to creditors generally

      2. 71. Debts of insolvent SMCL to rank equally

      3. 72. Supplementary provisions as to dividend

      4. 73. Notice of proposed distribution

      5. 74. Further contents of notice to creditors owed small debts etc.

      6. 75. Sole or final dividend

      7. 76. Admission or rejection of proofs following last date for proving

      8. 77. Postponement or cancellation of dividend

      9. 78. Declaration of dividend

      10. 79. Notice of declaration of a dividend

      11. 80. Payments of dividends and related matters

      12. 81. Notice of no dividend, or no further dividend

      13. 82. Proof altered after payment of dividend

      14. 83. Secured creditors

      15. 84. Disqualification from dividend

      16. 85. Assignment of right to dividend

      17. 86. Adjustment where dividend paid before time

      18. 87. Division of unsold assets

9. PART 8 The SMCL administrator

   1. 88. Fixing of remuneration

   2. 89. Remuneration of new SMCL administrator

10. PART 9 Ending SMCL administration

    1. 90. Final progress reports

    2. 91. Application to court

    3. 92. Notification by SMCL administrator of court order

    4. 93. Moving from SMCL administration to creditors’ voluntary liquidation

    5. 94. Moving from SMCL administration to dissolution

    6. 95. Provision of information to the Secretary of State

11. PART 10 Replacing the SMCL administrator

    1. 96. Grounds for resignation

    2. 97. Notice of intention to resign

    3. 98. Notice of resignation

    4. 99. Application to court to remove SMCL administrator from office

    5. 100. Notice of vacation of office when SMCL administrator ceases to be qualified to act

    6. 101. SMCL administrator deceased

    7. 102. Application to replace

    8. 103. Appointment of replacement or additional SMCL administrator

    9. 104. SMCL administrator’s duties on vacating office

12. PART 11 Court procedure and practice

    1. CHAPTER 1 Applications

       1. 105. Preliminary

       2. 106. Contents of application

       3. 107. Application under section 176A(5) of the 1986 Act to disapply section 176A of the 1986 Act

       4. 108. Notice of order under section 176A(5) of the 1986 Act

       5. 109. Filing and service of application

       6. 110. Hearings without notice

       7. 111. Hearing of application

       8. 112. Witness statements

       9. 113. Use of reports

       10. 114. Directions; adjournment of hearings

    2. CHAPTER 2 Enforcement procedures

       1. 115. Enforcement of court orders

       2. 116. Orders enforcing compliance

       3. 117. Warrant under section 236 of the 1986 Act

    3. CHAPTER 3 The court file

       1. 118. Court file

       2. 119. Office copies of documents

    4. CHAPTER 4 Costs and detailed assessment

       1. 120. Application of Chapter and interpretation

       2. 121. Requirement to assess costs by the detailed procedure

       3. 122. Procedure where detailed assessment required

       4. 123. Costs paid otherwise than out of the assets of the SMCL

       5. 124. Award of costs against SMCL administrator

       6. 125. Application for costs

       7. 126. Costs and expenses of witnesses

       8. 127. Final costs certificate

    5. CHAPTER 5 Persons who lack capacity to manage their affairs

       1. 128. Introductory

       2. 129. Appointment of another person to act

       3. 130. Witness statement in support of application

       4. 131. Service of notices following appointment

    6. CHAPTER 6 Appeals in SMCL administration proceedings

       1. 132. Appeals and reviews of SMCL administration orders

       2. 133. Procedure on appeal

    7. CHAPTER 7 General

       1. 134. Principal court rules and practice to apply

       2. 135. Performance of functions by the Court

       3. 136. Rights of audience

       4. 137. Formal defects

       5. 138. Shorthand writers

       6. 139. Payment into court

       7. 140. Further information and disclosure

       8. 141. Court orders

13. PART 12 Proxies and representation

    1. 142. Application and interpretation

    2. 143. Specific and continuing proxies

    3. 144. Blank proxy

    4. 145. Use of proxies

    5. 146. Use of proxies by the chair

    6. 147. Right of inspection and retention of proxies

    7. 148. Proxy-holder with financial interest

    8. 149. Instrument conferring authorisation to represent corporation

14. PART 13 Examination of persons in SMCL administration proceedings

    1. 150. Preliminary

    2. 151. Contents of application

    3. 152. Order for examination, etc.

    4. 153. Procedure for examination

    5. 154. Record of examination

    6. 155. Cost of proceedings under section 236

15. PART 14 Provisions of general effect

    1. CHAPTER 1 Delivery of documents

       1. 156. Application of Chapter

       2. 157. Personal delivery of documents

       3. 158. Postal delivery of documents

       4. 159. Delivery of documents to authorised recipients

       5. 160. Delivery of documents to joint SMCL administrators

       6. 161. Electronic delivery of documents

       7. 162. Electronic delivery of documents to the court

       8. 163. Electronic delivery of notices to enforcement officers

       9. 164. Electronic delivery by SMCL administrators

       10. 165. Use of website by SMCL administrator to deliver a particular document

       11. 166. General use of website to deliver documents

       12. 167. Proof of delivery of documents

    2. CHAPTER 2 Form and content of documents

       1. 168. Requirement for writing and form of documents

       2. 169. Authentication

    3. CHAPTER 3 Service of documents

       1. 170. Application

       2. 171. Service of SMCL administration application

       3. 172. Service on joint SMCL administrators

       4. 173. Service of orders staying proceedings

       5. 174. Certificate of service

    4. CHAPTER 4 Gazette notices

       1. 175. Contents of notices to be gazetted under the 1986 Act or these Rules

       2. 176. Omission of unobtainable information

       3. 177. The Gazette – general

    5. CHAPTER 5 Notices advertised otherwise than in the Gazette

       1. 178. Notices otherwise advertised under the 1986 Act or these Rules

       2. 179. Non-Gazette notices – other provisions

    6. CHAPTER 6 Documents delivered to the registrar of companies

       1. 180. Application of this Chapter

       2. 181. Information to be contained in all documents delivered to the registrar

       3. 182. Documents relating to the office of SMCL administrators

       4. 183. Documents relating to other documents

       5. 184. Documents relating to court orders

       6. 185. Reports of meetings

       7. 186. Documents relating to other events

       8. 187. Documents of more than one type

       9. 188. Documents delivered to other persons at the same time

    7. CHAPTER 7 Inspection of documents and the provision of information

       1. 189. Confidentiality of documents – grounds for refusing inspection

       2. 190. Right to copies of documents

       3. 191. Charges for copies of documents

       4. 192. Right to list of creditors

    8. CHAPTER 8 Time

       1. 193. Calculation of time periods

16. PART 15 Miscellaneous

    1. 194. Power of Secretary of State to regulate certain matters

    2. 195. False claim of status as creditor, etc.

    3. 196. Punishment of offences

    4. 197. Review

17. Signature

18. 1. SCHEDULE

       Punishment of offences under these Rules

19. Explanatory Note