Companies Act 2006 - Implementation

Implementation

A small portion of the Act came into effect on Royal Assent in November 2006. The first and second Commencement Orders then brought further provisions into force in January 2007 and April 2007. The implementation timetable for the remainder of the Act was announced in February 2007, by Margaret Hodge, Minister for Industry and the Regions. The third and fourth Commencement Orders brought a further tranche of provisions into force in October 2007, and the fifth, sixth and seventh in April and October 2008. The eighth commencement order, made in November 2008, brought the remainder of the Act into force with effect from October 2009.

The staggered timetable was intended to give companies sufficient time to prepare for the new regime under the Act, rather than implementing all 1,300 sections of the Act on one day.

Another reason for the staggered implementation is that, despite the Act's size, a great many sections provide for subsidiary legislation to be brought in by Secretary of State, which has taken time to draft.

Implementation of the Act is the responsibility of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.