Railways Act 1993

10 (1) Section 27 of the 1986 Act (protection of interests of creditors and members), as applied by this Part of this Schedule, shall have effect as follows.

(2) After subsection (1) there shall be inserted the following subsections—

“(1A) At any time when a railway administration order is in force the Secretary of State or, if the company is the holder of a passenger licence under Part I of the Railways Act 1993, the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising with the consent of the Secretary of State may apply to the High Court or the Court of Session by petition for an order under this section on the ground specified in subsection (1B).

(1B) The ground mentioned in subsection (1A) is that the special railway administrator has exercised or is exercising, or proposing to exercise, his powers in relation to the company in a manner which—

(a) will not best ensure the achievement of the purposes of the order; or

(b) without prejudice to paragraph (a) above, involves a contravention of any of the conditions of any licence under Part I of the Railways Act 1993 held by the company.

(1C) Where an application is made under subsection (1) in respect of a company in relation to which a railway administration order is in force—

(a) notice of the application shall be given to the Secretary of State; and

(b) he shall be entitled to be heard by the court in connection with that application.”

(3) Subsection (3) (order not to prejudice or prevent voluntary arrangements or administrator’s proposals) shall be omitted.

(4) In subsection (4) (provision that may be made in an order), the words “Subject as above” shall be omitted and for paragraph (d) there shall be substituted—

“(d) without prejudice to the powers exercisable by the court in making a railway administration order—

(i) provide that the railway administration order is to be discharged as from such date as may be specified in the order unless, before that date, such measures are taken as the court thinks fit for the purpose of protecting the interests of creditors; and

(ii) make such consequential provision as the court thinks fit.”

(5) For subsection (6) there shall be substituted—

“(6) Where a railway administration order is discharged in consequence of such provision in an order under this section as is mentioned in subsection (4)(d)(i), the special railway administrator shall, within 14 days after the date on which the discharge takes effect, send an office copy of the order under this section—

(a) to the Rail Regulator;

(b) to the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising; and

(c) except where the company is an unregistered company which is not subject to a requirement imposed under or by virtue of section 691(1) or 718 of the M1 Companies Act 1985 to deliver any documents to the registrar of companies, to the registrar of companies;

and if, without reasonable excuse, the special railway administrator fails to comply with this subsection, he is liable to a fine and, for continued contravention, to a daily default fine.”

Marginal Citations

M1 1985 c. 6.