Part 12Company secretaries
Provisions applying to private companies with a secretary and to public companies
275Duty to keep register of secretaries
(1)
A company must keep a register of its secretaries.
(2)
The register must contain the required particulars (see sections 277 to 279) of the person who is, or persons who are, the secretary or joint secretaries of the company.
(3)
The register must be kept available for inspection—
(a)
at the company's registered office, or
(b)
at a place specified in regulations under section 1136.
(4)
The company must give notice to the registrar—
(a)
of the place at which the register is kept available for inspection, and
(b)
of any change in that place,
unless it has at all times been kept at the company's registered office.
(5)
The register must be open to the inspection—
(a)
of any member of the company without charge, and
(b)
of any other person on payment of such fee as may be prescribed.
(6)
If default is made in complying with subsection (1), (2) or (3), or if default is made for 14 days in complying with subsection (4), or if an inspection required under subsection (5) is refused, an offence is committed by—
(a)
the company, and
(b)
every officer of the company who is in default.
For this purpose a shadow director is treated as an officer of the company.
(7)
A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale and, for continued contravention, a daily default fine not exceeding F2one-tenth of level 5 on the standard scaleF2one-tenth of the greater of £5,000 or level 4 on the standard scale.
(8)
In the case of a refusal of inspection of the register, the court may by order compel an immediate inspection of it.