In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears, the following definitions apply—

• “agent” does not include a person’s counsel acting as such;

• F1“annual return” means the return to be made by a company under section 363 or 364 (as the case may be);

• “articles” means, in relation to a company, its articles of association, as originally framed or as altered by resolution, including (so far as applicable to the company) regulations contained in or annexed to any enactment relating to companies passed before this Act, as altered by or under any such enactment;

• . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

• F3“authorised minimum” has the meaning given by section 118;

• “bank holiday” means a holiday under the M1Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971;

• F4“banking company” means a company which is authorised under the Banking Act 1987;

• “books and papers” and “books or papers” include accounts, deeds, writings and documents;

• “the Companies Acts” means this Act, the Insider Dealing Act and the Consequential Provisions Act;

• “the Consequential Provisions Act” means the M2Companies Consolidation (Consequential Provisions) Act 1985;

• “the court”, in relation to a company, means the court having jurisdiction to wind up the company;

• “debenture” includes debenture stock, bonds and any other securities of a company, whether constituting a charge on the assets of the company or not;

• “document” includes summons, notice, order, and other legal process, and registers;

• “equity share capital” means, in relation to a company, its issued share capital excluding any part of that capital which, neither as respects dividends nor as respects capital, carries any right to participate beyond a specified amount in a distribution;

• F5“expert” has the meaning given by section 62;

• F6“floating charge” includes a floating charge within the meaning given by section 462;

• “the Gazette” means, as respects companies registered in England and Wales, the London Gazette and, as respects companies registered in Scotland, the Edinburgh Gazette;

• . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F7;

• “hire-purchase agreement” has the same meaning as in the M3Consumer Credit Act 1974;

• “the Insider Dealing Act” means the M4Company Securities (Insider Dealing) Act 1985;

• “insurance company” means the same as in the M5Insurance Companies Act 1982;

• F8“joint stock company” has the meaning given by section 683;

• “memorandum”, in relation to a company, means its memorandum of association, as originally framed or as altered in pursuance of any enactment;

• “number”, in relation to shares, includes amount, where the context admits of the reference to shares being construed to include stock;

• “officer”, in relation to a body corporate, includes a director, manager or secretary;

• “official seal”, in relation to the registrar of companies, means a seal prepared under section 704(4) for the authentication of documents required for or in connection with the registration of companies;

• “oversea company” means—