Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Rules may be cited as the Insolvency (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2009 and come into operation on 11th January 2010.

(2) In these Rules—

“the current principal Rules” means the Insolvency Rules (Northern Ireland) 1991(4), inclusive of the amendments made by the Insolvency (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2006(5); and

“the former principal Rules” means the Insolvency Rules (Northern Ireland) 1991 where, by virtue of Rule 5 of the Insolvency (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2006, they apply without the amendments made by those Rules.

(3) References to numbered Rules are references to those Rules so numbered in the current principal Rules or in the former principal Rules as the case may be unless the context otherwise requires.

Transitional provisions

2.—(1) The amendments to the current and former principal Rules made by these Rules apply as follows.

(2) They apply where, in a company voluntary arrangement, a moratorium comes into force in relation to a company on or after 11th January 2010.

(3) They apply where a company enters administration on or after 11th January 2010, except where—

(a)it enters administration by virtue of an administration order under paragraph 11 of Schedule B1 to the 1989 Order on an application made before 11th January 2010;

(b)the administration is immediately preceded by a voluntary liquidation in respect of which the resolution to wind up was passed before 11th January 2010, or

(c)the administration is immediately preceded by a liquidation on the making of a winding-up order on a petition which was presented before 11th January 2010.

(4) They apply where, in a receivership, a receiver or manager is appointed in respect of a company on or after 11th January 2010.

(5) They apply where a company goes into liquidation upon the passing on or after 11th January 2010 of a resolution to wind up.

(6) They apply where a company goes into voluntary liquidation under paragraph 84 of Schedule B1 to the 1989 Order, except where the preceding administration—

(a)commenced before 11th January 2010, or

(b)is an administration which commenced by virtue of an administration order under paragraph 11 of Schedule B1 to the 1989 Order on an application which was made before 11th January 2010.

(7) They apply where a company goes into liquidation on the making of a winding-up order on a petition presented on or after 11th January 2010, except where the liquidation is immediately preceded by—

(a)an administration under paragraph 11 of Schedule B1 to the 1989 Order where the administration order was made on an application before 11th January 2010;

(b)an administration in respect of which the appointment of an administrator under paragraph 15 or 23 of Schedule B1 to the 1989 Order took effect before 11th January 2010, or

(c)a voluntary liquidation in respect of which the resolution to wind up was passed before 11th January 2010.

(8) In this Rule, “the 1989 Order” means the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.

Amendments to the current principal Rules

3.  Subject to Rule 2, the current principal Rules shall be amended as set out in Rules 4 to 17.

Amendment of Rule 0.2

4.—(1) Rule 0.2 (interpretation) is amended as follows.

(2) After the definition of “Centre of main interests”, insert ““the Companies Act” means “the Companies Act 2006””.

(3) For the definition of a “Part XXIII company”, substitute—

““Part 34 company” has the same meaning as in the Companies Act 2006(6).”.

Amendment of Rule 1.22A

5.—(1) Rule 1.22A (notice of order made under Article 17A(6)) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (5), for “an office copy”, substitute “a copy”.

Amendment of Rule 1.41

6.—(1) Rule 1.41 (notice of extension of moratorium) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (2), for “an office copy”, substitute “a copy”.

Amendment of Rule 2.050

7.—(1) Rule 2.050 (venue and conduct of company meeting) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (5)—

(a)omit “of association”; and

(b)for “Order”, substitute “Act”.

Amendments to Rules 2.052, 2.056, 3.17, 3.21, 4.161, 4.167, 8.7 and 12.05

8.—(1) Rules 2.052(2) (formalities of establishment), 2.05(2) (committee-members’ representatives), 3.17(2) (formalities of establishment), 3.21(2) (committee-members’ representatives), 4.161(3) (formalities of establishment), 4.167(2) (committee-members’ representatives), 8.7(1) (company representation) and 12.05(3) (quorum at meeting of creditors or contributories) are amended as follows.

(2) For “Article 383 of the Companies Order”, where it occurs, substitute “section 323 of the Companies Act”.

Amendment of Rule 3.36

9.—(1) Rule 3.36 (vacation of office) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (2), for “Article 413(2) of the Companies Order (notice for the purposes of the register of charges)”, substitute “section 871(2) of the Companies Act (registration of enforcement of security)”.

Amendment of Rule 3.39

10.—(1) Rule 3.39 (preservation of certificate with company’s records) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (1), for “Article 230 of the Companies Order”, substitute “sections 388 and 389 of the Companies Act”.

Amendment of Rule 4.002

11.—(1) Rule 4.002 (winding up by the court: the various forms of petition) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (1), in the second indent referring to paragraph (b) of Article 102, for “Article 127 of the Companies Order”, substitute “section 761 of the Companies Act”.

Amendment of Rule 4.008

12.—(1) Rule 4.008 (service of petition) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (2)—

(a)in subparagraph (a), for “Article 21 of the Companies Order”, substitute “section 9 of the Companies Act”; and

(b)in subparagraph (b), for “Article 295 of that Order”, substitute “section 87 of the Companies Act”.

(3) In paragraph (5)—

(a)for “Part XXIII”, substitute “overseas”; and

(b)for “Article 645 of the Companies Order”, substitute “section 1139(2) of the Companies Act”.

Amendment of Rule 4.011

13.—(1) Rule 4.011 (notice and advertisement of petition) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (5)(a)(ii), for “a Part XXIII”, substitute “an overseas”.

Amendment of Rule 4.240

14.—(1) Rule 4.240 (Prohibited names – third excepted case) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (b), for “Article 260(5) of the Companies Order”, substitute “section 1169(1), (2) and (3)(a) of the Companies Act”.

Amendment of Rule 6.200

15.—(1) Rule 6.200 (application for leave) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (4), for “Article 24 of the Companies Order”, substitute “section 15 of the Companies Act”.

Amendment of Rule 7.55

16.—(1) Rule 7.55 (office copies of documents) is amended as follows.

(2) In the heading to that Rule, for “Office copies”, substitute “Copies”.

(3) In paragraphs (1) and (3), for “an office copy”, substitute “a copy”.

Amendments to Schedule 2 – forms

17.—(1) In the forms in Schedule 2 to the current principal Rules listed below, the contents are amended as follows—

(a)in Form 3.10, for “An office copy”, substitute “A copy”;

(b)in Form 4.02, for “memorandum of association of the company”, substitute “the company’s articles”;

(c)in Form 4.05—

(i)in the heading, for “Part XXIII”, substitute “overseas”; and

(ii)in the note, for “oversea”, substitute “overseas”; and

(d)in Form 4.14, for “memorandum of association of the company”, substitute “the company’s articles”.

(2) For Form 5.2, substitute the new Form 5.2 in Part 1 of the Schedule to these Rules.

Amendments to the former principal Rules

18.  Subject to Rule 2, the former principal Rules shall be amended as set out in Rules 19 to 24.

Amendment of former Rule 2.34

19.—(1) Former Rule 2.34 is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (5), for “Companies Order”, substitute “Companies Act”.

Amendment of former Rule 2.36

20.—(1) Former Rule 2.36 is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (2), for “Article 383 of the Companies Order”, substitute “section 323 of the Companies Act”.

Amendment of former Rule 2.40

21.—(1) Former Rule 2.40 is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (2), for “Article 383 of the Companies Order”, substitute “section 323 of the Companies Act”.

Amendment of former Rule 2.62

22.—(1) Former Rule 2.62 (preservation of certification with company’s records) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (1), for “Article 230 of the Companies Order”, substitute “sections 388 and 389 of the Companies Act”.

Amendments to Schedule 2 to the former principal Rules

23.  In the index to forms in Schedule 2 to the former principal Rules, for the entry for Form 2.01, substitute—

“2.01 (SAR) Petition for administration order (Special Administration Regimes)”.

24.  For Form 2.01, substitute the new Form 2.01 (SAR) in Part 2 of the Schedule to these Rules.

Rules 17(2) and 24

SCHEDULE

PART 1

PART 2

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Rules)

These Rules amend the Insolvency Rules (Northern Ireland) 1991 (S.R. 1991 No. 364) (“the principal Rules”), of which there are two versions.

The principal Rules as amended by the Insolvency (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2006 (“the 2006 Rules”) apply to all insolvency proceedings other than special administration regimes. These are referred to in this note as the “current principal Rules”.

However, rule 5 of the 2006 Rules provides that, in cases where Part III of the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 applies without amendments made by the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 2005, the principal Rules continue to apply without the amendments made by the 2006 Rules.

Article 4 of the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 provides for Part III of the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 to continue to apply as prior to amendment by the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 in two special administration regimes, namely—

(a)licence companies within the meaning of section 26 of the Transport Act 2000 (c. 38) (air traffic services), or

(b)building societies within the meaning of section 119 of the Building Societies Act 1986 (c. 53) (interpretation).

The version of the principal Rules applying to special administration regimes is referred to in this note as the “former principal Rules”.

These Rules make amendments to both the current and former principal Rules consequent on the coming into force on 1 October 2009 of the Companies Act 2006. Rules 4 to 17 amend the current principal Rules and rules 19 to 24 amend the former principal Rules.

Part 1 of the Schedule substitutes in Schedule 2 to the current principal Rules new form 5.2, which is needed because the previous form incorrectly stated that an interim order of Court under Article 226 of the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 took effect on the day after the date on which the order was made.

Part 2 of the Schedule substitutes in Schedule 2 to the former principal Rules new form 2.01(SAR), which is needed due to the coming into force of the Companies Act 2006.