Companies Act 2006 – Co-operation

Section 950: Panel’s duty of co-operation

1199. Article 4.4 of the Directive requires that takeover supervisory authorities and financial
services regulators provide reasonable assistance to other such authorities within the EEA for

the purposes of the Directive. This section is designed to give effect to this requirement by
obliging the Panel to co-operate with overseas takeover and financial services regulatory
authorities.

1200. The form and manner of co-operation will be as the Panel considers appropriate in the
light of the circumstances (in particular, its power to require documents and information may
be exercised to support such an authority) and may include sharing information which the
Panel is not prevented from disclosing. The section mirrors similar co-operation obligations
imposed on the Financial Services Authority by section 354 of the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000.

Hearings and Appeals

Section 951: Hearings and Appeals

1201. This section ensures that proper procedures for review of and appeal against decisions
taken by the Panel in connection with its regulatory functions are provided. Section 951(1)
requires that the rules made by the Panel provide for a decision of the Panel to be subject to
review by a “Hearings Committee” when requested by affected persons specified in the rules.
Section 951(3) provides that the rules must give a right of appeal to an independent tribunal
(the “Takeover Appeal Board”) against a decision of the Hearings Committee. The rules may
make provision in relation to the Hearings Committee as to procedural matters, evidence and
the powers of the Committee. Further, rules may contain provisions related to enforcement of
decisions of the Hearings Committee and the Takeover Appeal Board.

1202. The section also requires the rules to provide that:

a) when appearing before the Hearings Committee or the Takeover Appeal Board, the
Panel must act through an officer or member of staff of the Panel (who must not be a
member of the rule-making committee referred to in section 943(5), the Hearings
Committee or the Appeal Board); and

b) no person who is, or has been, a member of the rule-making committee can be a
member of the Hearings Committee or the Takeover Appeal Board.

1203. The general rules of natural justice will preclude a person who had taken part in a
decision from later considering a review or appeal in relation to that decision.

1204. This approach is designed to ensure a clear and transparent division of responsibilities
between the various organs of the Panel in its executive, judicial and rule-making roles.

Contravention of rules, etc

Section 952: Sanctions

1205. This section confers on the Panel the power to make rules for imposing sanctions for
breach of its rules or directions given under section 946. The Panel’s current sanctions
regime, which is set out in the Introduction to the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers and
which it is envisaged will remain in place under the Act, provides for private and public
statements of censure of persons in breach of the Code.

1206. Particularly flagrant breaches may lead to the Panel publishing a statement indicating
that the offender is someone who is not likely to comply. The rules of the Financial Services
Authority and certain professional organisations contain provisions obliging their members,

in certain circumstances, not to act for a person named in such a statement. This is referred to
as “cold-shouldering”. The provisions in question cover transactions that are subject to the
City Code on Takeovers and Mergers, such as transactions in relevant securities requiring
disclosure under rule 8 of the Code. Under section 952, it will continue to be possible, in the
case of transactions that are subject to the Panel rules, for the Panel to issue “coldshouldering”
statements in appropriate cases. (The Panel will also be able to pass information
concerning breaches of rules to other regulatory authorities and professional bodies by virtue
of the statutory “gateways” set out at section 948 and Schedule 2.)

1207. Should future rules made by the Panel confer a power on the Panel to impose a
sanction of a kind not contained in the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers as it has effect
immediately before the passing of the Act, the Panel must prepare a policy statement in
respect of the sanction. The policy statement must set out the policy of the Panel with regard
to imposition of the sanction and, for financial penalties, the penalty that may be imposed. An
element of the policy must be that the Panel, in making a decision about any such matter,
have regard to the seriousness of the breach or failure, the extent to which the breach or
failure was deliberate or reckless and whether the person on whom the sanction is to be
imposed is an individual.

Section 953: Failure to comply with rules about bid documentation

1208. This section creates new offences in relation to takeover bid documentation (i.e. offer
documents prepared by the bidder and documents in response to the bid prepared by the
board of the target company). Provisions related to bid documentation are laid down in
particular by Articles 6.3 and 9.5 of the Directive which are to be implemented by rules
which the Panel are obliged to make under section 943. Consequently, in each case an
offence will be committed where the document in question does not comply with rules
designated by the Panel as giving effect to those provisions. The offence relating to offer
documents may be committed by the bidder and any of its directors, officers or members who
caused the offer document to be published. The offence relating to response documents may
be committed by directors or other officers of the target company. Where either offence is
committed by a corporate body (for instance, a corporate director), provisions are also
included dealing with liability of directors, officers or members of that body. In each case, an
offence will be committed only where the relevant person knew that the document did not
comply (or was reckless as to whether it did so) and failed to take all reasonable steps to
ensure that it did comply.

1209. A person guilty of an offence under this provision is liable on conviction to a fine (on
summary conviction limited to the statutory maximum).

Section 954: Compensation

1210. This section confers on the Panel the power to make rules providing for financial
redress (together with interest (including compound interest)) in consequence of a breach of
rules which require monetary payments to be made (for instance, a payment by the bidder to
shareholders of any difference between the price actually paid and any higher price for shares
that the bidder should have paid under the rules).