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Report of the Committee on Company Law Amendment

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The Report of the Committee on Company Law Amendment (1945) Cm 6659, known best as the "Cohen Report" for short, was a company law reform committee appointed by the United Kingdom Coalition Government, during the Second World War. It was chaired by Lord Cohen.

Background

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The Committee was appointed in June 1943 by Hugh Dalton, who later became Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Recommendations

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  • This report recommended that shareholders be given a greater degree of control over directors, and led to CA 1948 s 184, then CA 1985 s 303, now CA 2006 s 168
  • This also recommended that payments to directors on retirement should be subject to company approval (para 92, then CA 1947, then s 192 CA 1948).
  • p 47 said ‘the suggestion that managing directors are paid excessive sums is, as a rule, unfounded’ but recommended disclosure of aggregate compensation of directors as a group, including payment for outside services.
  • p 50 expressed concern about directors buying and selling shares with inside knowledge of the company, but merely recommended publicity (cf s 16 Securities Exchange Act, s 17 Public Utility Holding Company Act)
  • p 51 recommended loans to directors be prohibited, except where companies are in the loan making business
  • p 50 rejects the suggestion that interested directors could vote on transactions in which they are interested, as being impracticable
  • It recommended abolition of the ultra vires rule, so every company has the capacity of a normal individual (this was done by the Companies Act 1989, now in CA 2006 s 40)
  • It proposed that the Board of Trade would be given power to litigate on behalf of shareholders across the country
  • para 126, twenty one days for annual meetings and meetings with special resolutions pending, fourteen days for others.

See also

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Notes

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References

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