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Company Law Reform Bill [HL]

My Lords, as noble Lords will realise, I do not normally take form points over substance. However, I had intended to support the noble Lord, Lord Hodgson, only to discover that for some reason the Conservatives have degrouped Amendment No. 29, and that it now stands alone. However, I believe that Amendment No. 29 ought to be discussed at this juncture. I was especially surprised to hear the noble Lord, Lord Hodgson, make all the remarks that I would have made on Amendment No. 29. The point is simple. Surely the companies legislation should provide for a company secretary—where there is one—to be able to sign and execute documents in the way that company secretaries do at the moment. That is all the amendment seeks. When we reach Amendment No. 29, I shall move it formally. Having said that, I agree with everything said by the noble Lord, Lord Hodgson, in relation to the role of the company secretary.