House of Commons Public Bill Committee Proceedings

House of Commons

Session 2006 - 07
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Other Bills before Parliament

1

House of Commons

Wednesday 25th April 2007

Public Bill Committee Proceedings

Financial Mutuals Arrangements Bill

Ed Balls

Not selected  1

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  1,  leave out Clause 1

Clause disagreed to.

Ed Balls

Not selected  2

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  11,  leave out Clause 2

Clause disagreed to.

Ed Balls

Not selected  3

Clause  3,  page  3,  line  18,  leave out Clause 3

Clause disagreed to.

Ed Balls

Agreed to  4

Clause  4,  page  5,  line  4,  leave out ‘Financial Mutuals Arrangements’ and insert

‘Building Societies (Funding) and Mutual Societies (Transfers)’.

Ed Balls

Agreed to  5

Clause  4,  page  5,  line  7,  leave out ‘different provisions or’.

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 25th April 2007
2

Financial Mutuals Arrangements Bill, continued

Ed Balls

Agreed to  6

Clause  4,  page  5,  line  9,  leave out subsection (3).

Clause, as amended, Agreed to.

New clauses

Funding limit for building societies

Ed Balls

Added  NC1

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
In section 7 of the Building Societies Act 1986 (c. 53) (funding limit)—

(a)
after subsection (6) insert—

“(6A)
The Treasury may, by order—

(a)
provide for subsection (1) to have effect as if the

reference to 50 per cent were a reference to such greater

percentage (not exceeding 75) as they think appropriate;

(b)
prohibit a society from applying the increased

percentage unless a resolution of the society of such

description as the Treasury think appropriate is passed in

favour of applying the increased percentage.

(6B)
An order under subsection (6A) is of no effect at any time unless,

at the same time, there is also in force an order under section 90B

(power to alter priorities on dissolution and winding up).

(6C)
An order under subsection (6A)(a)—

(a)
may not be amended so as to reduce the percentage

specified in the order;

(b)
may not be revoked, unless it is replaced by another such

order specifying the same or a greater percentage.”;

(b)
in subsection (8), after “subsection” insert “(6A) or”;

(c)
after subsection (8) insert—

“(8A)
The power to make an order under subsection (6A) is exercisable

by statutory instrument but no such order may be made unless a

draft of it has been laid before and approved by a resolution of

each House of Parliament.”.

(2)
In section 5 of that Act (establishment, constitution and powers), after

subsection (10) insert—

“(11)
The Treasury may by order amend subsection (1)(a) so as to alter the

extent to which the making of loans is required to be funded by a

society’s members.

(12)
An order under this section may make such consequential, saving,

supplementary or transitional provision as the Treasury think necessary

or expedient.

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 25th April 2007
3

Financial Mutuals Arrangements Bill, continued

(13)
The consequential provision that may be made by virtue of subsection

(12) includes, in particular, provision amending any the following so far

as relating to funding by the members of a society—

(a)
section 1(1)(a) (functions of the Financial Services Authority in

relation to building societies);

(b)
section 93(2)(a) (amalgamations);

(c)
paragraph 2 of Schedule 2 to this Act (memorandum).

(14)
The power to make an order under this section is exercisable by statutory

instrument, but no such order may be made unless a draft of it has been

laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.”.’.

Power to alter priorities on dissolution and winding up

Ed Balls

Added  NC2

To move the following Clause:—

‘After section 90A of the Building Societies Act 1986 (c. 53) insert—

“90B
Power to alter priorities on dissolution and winding up

(1)
The Treasury may by order make provision for the purpose of ensuring

that, on the winding up, or dissolution by consent, of a building society,

any assets available for satisfying the society’s liabilities to creditors or

to shareholders are applied in satisfying those liabilities pari passu.

(2)
Liabilities to creditors do not include—

(a)
liabilities in respect of subordinated deposits;

(b)
liabilities in respect of preferential debts;

(c)
any other category of liability which the Treasury specifies in the

order for the purposes of this paragraph.

(3)
Liabilities to shareholders do not include liabilities in respect of deferred

shares.

(4)
A preferential debt is a debt which constitutes a preferential debt for the

purposes of any of the enactments specified in paragraph 1 of Schedule

15 to this Act (or which would constitute such a debt if the society were

being wound up).

(5)
An order under this section may—

(a)
make amendments of this Act;

(b)
make different provision for different purposes;

(c)
make such consequential, supplementary, transitional and saving

provision as appears to the Treasury to be necessary or

expedient.

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 25th April 2007
4

Financial Mutuals Arrangements Bill, continued

(6)
The power to make an order under this section is exercisable by statutory

instrument but no such order may be made unless a draft of it has been

laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.”.’.

Transfers to subsidiaries of other mutuals

Ed Balls

Added  NC3

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
The Treasury may, by order, make such modifications of the transfer provisions

as it thinks appropriate to facilitate, or in consequence of, the transfer of the whole

of the business of a mutual society (the transferor) to a subsidiary of a mutual

society (whether or not of the same type) (the transferee).

(2)
An order under this section may make provision as to the rights (including rights

of and pertaining to membership) in relation to the mutual society of which the

transferee is a subsidiary—

(a)
of the members of the transferor;

(b)
of persons who, after the transfer, become customers of the transferee.

(3)
An order under this section may confer such functions on the Financial Services

Authority as the Treasury think appropriate.

(4)
An order under this section—

(a)
may make such consequential, saving, supplementary or transitional

provision as the Treasury think appropriate;

(b)
may make different provision for different purposes.

(5)
The power to make an order under this section is exercisable by statutory

instrument.

(6)
An order which—

(a)
makes modifications of a provision mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c)

of subsection (10), or

(b)
amends paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection (11),


(whether or not it contains any other provision) must not be made unless a draft

of it has been laid before and approved by resolution of each House of Parliament.

(7)
Otherwise, an order is subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either

House of Parliament.

(8)
Modifications include omissions, additions and alterations.

(9)
A mutual society is—

(a)
a building society incorporated or deemed to be incorporated under the

Building Societies Act 1986 (c. 53);

(b)
a friendly society within the meaning of the Friendly Societies Act 1992

(c. 40);

(c)
an industrial and provident society registered or deemed to be registered

under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 (c. 12).

(10)
The transfer provisions are—

(a)
sections 97 to 102D of the Building Societies Act 1986 (c. 53), paragraph

30 of Schedule 2 to that Act and Schedule 17 to that Act;

(b)
sections 86 and 88 of and Schedule 15 to the Friendly Societies Act 1992

(c. 40);

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 25th April 2007
5

Financial Mutuals Arrangements Bill, continued

(c)
section 52 of the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 (c. 12);

(d)
provision contained in subordinate legislation (within the meaning of the

Interpretation Act 1978) made under any provision mentioned in

paragraph (a), (b) or (c).

(11)
A subsidiary of a mutual society is a company (within the meaning of the

Companies Act 2006 (c. 46) (or, before the commencement of Part 1 of that Act,

the Companies Act 1985 (c. 6)) or the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1986

S.I. 1986/1032 (N.I. 6))—

(a)
in which the society holds a majority of the voting rights or of which the

society is a member and alone controls, pursuant to an agreement with

other shareholders or members, a majority of the voting rights, and

(b)
in relation to which the society has the right to appoint or remove a

majority of the company’s board of directors,


but the Treasury may, by order, amend paragraphs (a) and (b) to make the degree

of control required more or less onerous.’.

Transfers to subsidiaries: distribution of funds

Ed Balls

Added  NC4

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
An order under section (Transfers to subsidiaries of other mutuals) may provide

for this section to have effect.

(2)
Subsection (3) applies if the terms of a transfer to which the order applies include

provision for part of the funds of the transferor or the mutual society of which the

transferee is a subsidiary (the holding mutual) to be distributed in consideration

of the transfer among the members of—

(a)
the transferor,

(b)
the holding mutual, or

(c)
both the transferor and the holding mutual.

(3)
The provision for the distribution must be authorised as follows—

(a)
it must not exceed the limits prescribed by order under subsection (4),

and the distribution must be approved (in the case of the transferor) by

the transfer resolution or (in the case of the holding mutual) by a

resolution of such description as the Treasury specifies by order;

(b)
if the provision for a distribution exceeds the prescribed limits, it must be

approved by each of the resolutions mentioned in paragraph (a).

(4)
The Treasury must by order authorise distributions of funds to members by

mutual societies participating (directly or through a subsidiary) in transfers to

which an order mentioned in subsection (1) applies, subject to limits specified by

or determined in accordance with the order.

(5)
A transfer resolution is—

(a)
in relation to a building society, each of the resolutions required pursuant

to paragraph 30 of Schedule 2 to the Building Societies Act 1986 (c. 53);

(b)
in relation to a friendly society, the resolution required by section

86(2)(b) of the Friendly Societies Act 1992 (c. 40);

(c)
in relation to an industrial and provident society, the resolution required

by section 52 of the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 (c. 12).

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 25th April 2007
6

Financial Mutuals Arrangements Bill, continued

(6)
Expressions used in this section and in section (Transfers to subsidiaries of other

mutuals) have the same meaning as in that section.

(7)
Subsections (4) to (7) of that section apply to an order under this section as they

apply to an order under that section.’.

Channel Islands and Isle of Man

Ed Balls

Not moved  NC5

To move the following Clause:—

‘Her Majesty may by Order in Council provide for any of the provisions of this

Act (except sections (Funding limit for building societies) and (Power to alter

priorities on dissolution and winding up)) to extend, with or without

modifications, to any of the Channel Islands or to the Isle of Man.’.

Ed Balls

Agreed to  7

Title,  line  1,  leave out ‘Remove existing’ and insert ‘Make provision in relation to’.

Ed Balls

Agreed to  8

Title,  line  1,  leave out ‘subject to regulation by the Financial Services Authority’.

Ed Balls

Agreed to  9

Title,  line  3,  leave out from second ‘to’ to end of line 4 and insert ‘make provision in

connection with the transfer of the business of certain mutual societies’.

Bill, as amended, to be reported.