Water (Special Measures) Act 2025

16 Winding-up petitions

In section 25 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (power to make special administration order on winding-up petition)—

(a) the existing text becomes subsection (1);

(b) in that subsection for “an application” substitute “a petition”;

(c) after that subsection insert—

“(2) But the court may not exercise its powers on the petition unless—

(a) notice of the petition has been served on the relevant persons, and

(b) a period of at least 14 days has passed starting with the day on which those notices were served (or, if served on different days, the later of those days).

(3) The relevant persons are entitled to be heard—

(a) at the hearing of the petition, and

(b) at any other hearing of the court in relation to the company under or by virtue of Part 4 of the Insolvency Act 1986.

(4) In this section “relevant person” means the Authority and—

(a) in the case of a petition that relates to a relevant undertaker whose area is wholly or mainly in Wales, the Welsh Ministers;

(b) in any other case, the Secretary of State.”