Transport Act 2000

51 Crown shareholding. U.K.

(1) This section applies if any property, rights or liabilities are transferred under a transfer scheme to a transferee which at the time of the transfer is—

(a) a company which is wholly owned by the Crown,

(b) a company which is wholly owned by the CAA, or

(c) a company which is a wholly owned subsidiary of a company falling within paragraph (a) or (b).

(2) The Secretary of State may by order designate such a transferee for the purposes of this section.

(3) The Secretary of State must ensure that the Crown does not dispose of any of the shares it holds in the designated company unless he is satisfied that a scheme is in place to ensure the completion of any project which—

(a) concerns the development of major facilities connected with air traffic services, and

(b) was commissioned before the coming into force of this section by the CAA or a company wholly owned by the CAA.

(4) The Secretary of State must ensure that the Crown does not dispose of any of the shares it holds in the designated company unless—

(a) the Crown holds at least 49 per cent of the company’s issued ordinary share capital immediately before the disposal, and

(b) the Crown will continue to hold at least 49 per cent of that share capital immediately after the disposal.

(5) The Secretary of State must ensure that at any given time the Crown holds at least 25 per cent of the designated company’s issued ordinary share capital.

(6) The Secretary of State must ensure that the Crown continues to hold any special share provided for under the designated company’s articles of association.

(7) A special share is a share which can be held only by the Crown and which gives the shareholder the right to prevent certain events by withholding consent.

(8) The Secretary of State must not consent to any alteration of the designated company’s articles of association which requires his consent on behalf of the Crown as special shareholder unless a statement of the intended consent has been laid before and approved by resolution of each House of Parliament.

(9) If a person enters into a transaction relating to shares issued by the designated company—

(a) he need not enquire whether the transaction results in a contravention of subsection (3), (4), (5) or (6), and

(b) his rights in relation to the shares are not to be questioned on the grounds of, or affected by, a contravention of subsection (3), (4), (5) or (6).

(10) Grounds on which the Secretary of State may be satisfied that a scheme is in place as mentioned in subsection (3) include the grounds that the arrangements for the disposal of the shares include provision obliging the person acquiring them to ensure the completion of the project.

(11) For the purposes of this section a project concerns the development of major facilities if (and only if) the Secretary of State thinks that the value of the project is above £200 million.

(12) The Secretary of State may by order amend or repeal this section.

Commencement Information

I1 S. 51 wholly in force at 1.2.2001, see s. 275(1)(2) and S.I. 2001/57, art. 3(1), Sch. 2 Pt. I (subject to the transitional provision and saving in Sch. 2 Pt. II)