14For section 705 of the Companies Act 1985 (companies' registered numbers) substitute—
(1)The registrar shall allocate to every company a number, which shall be known as the company’s registered number.
(2)Companies' registered numbers shall be in such form, consisting of one or more sequences of figures or letters, as the registrar may from time to time determine.
(3)The registrar may upon adopting a new form of registered number make such changes of existing registered numbers as appear to him necessary.
(4)A change of a company’s registered number has effect from the date on which the company is notified by the registrar of the change; but for a period of three years beginning with the date on which that notification is sent by the registrar the requirement of section 351(1)(a) as to the use of the company’s registered number on business letters and order forms is satisfied by the use of either the old number or the new.
(5)In this section “company” includes—
(a)any oversea company which has complied with section 691 (delivery of statutes to registrar, &c.), other than a company which appears to the registrar not to have a place of business in Great Britain; and
(b)any body to which any provision of this Act applies by virtue of section 718 (unregistered companies).”.