Company Law Reform Bill [HL]

If there were full shareholder enfranchisement, this clause, which empowers the Secretary of State, would not be necessary. I would then support the amendment of the noble Lord, Lord Hodgson, which would omit Clause 137, because it would be redundant. I know that Machiavelli said that you should never have a fallback position in any battle; nevertheless, I tabled this amendment to explore what possible fallback positions there might be. The power of the Secretary of State to compel companies to provide information must be very frustrating if no power exists to compel the provision of voting or other rights to the people who receive information. Why are those additional powers not included with the Secretary of State’s powers as described in Clause 137? I beg to move.