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ARTICLE · 24 JANUARY 2013

The Companies Bill 2012

Dillon Eustace
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The Companies Bill 2012 was published on 21 December 2012 by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and seeks to consolidate the existing 16 Companies Acts and reform existing Irish company law.

IrelandCorporate/Commercial Law
Catherine Hicks
Catherine Hicks
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The Companies Bill 2012 was published on 21 December 2012 by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. The Bill which runs to over 1,100 pages represents over a decade's work and seeks to consolidate the existing 16 Companies Acts and reform existing Irish company law. The Bill aims to make the incorporation and operation of Irish companies more straightforward and cost effective.

It is estimated that 12,500 private companies limited by shares are incorporated every year and this type of company makes up 90% of all companies registered at the Companies Registration Office. The Bill focuses on this type of company with the first 15 Parts of the Bill addressing the life cycle of the private company limited by shares ('CLS') from incorporation to winding up. Provisions relating to other types of company such as the public limited company, unlimited company and company limited by guarantee are set out in subsequent separate Parts of the Bill.

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