The Postal Administration Rules (Northern Ireland) 2021

1. Introductory Text

2. PART 1 Introductory Provisions

   1. 1. Citation and commencement

   2. 2. Construction and interpretation

   3. 3. Extent

3. PART 2 Appointment of Postal Administrator by Court

   1. 4. Affidavit in support of administration application

   2. 5. Form of application

   3. 6. Contents of application and affidavit in support

   4. 7. Filing of application

   5. 8. Service of application

   6. 9. Notice to Enforcement of Judgments Office

   7. 10. Manner in which service to be effected

   8. 11. Proof of service

   9. 12. The hearing

   10. 13. Notice of postal administration order

4. PART 3 Process of Postal Administration

   1. 14. Notification and advertisement of postal administrator’s appointment

   2. 15. Notice requiring statement of affairs

   3. 16. Verification and filing

   4. 17. Limited disclosure

   5. 18. Release from duty to submit statement of affairs; extension of time

   6. 19. Expenses of statement of affairs

   7. 20. Postal administrator’s proposals

   8. 21. Limited disclosure of paragraph 50 statement

5. PART 4 MEETINGS AND REPORTS

   1. CHAPTER 1 Creditors Meetings

      1. 22. Creditors’ meetings generally

      2. 23. The chair at meetings

      3. 24. Creditors’ meeting for nomination of alternative liquidator

      4. 25. Notice of meetings by advertisement only

      5. 26. Entitlement to vote

      6. 27. Admission and rejection of claims

      7. 28. Secured creditors

      8. 29. Holders of negotiable instruments

      9. 30. Hire-purchase, conditional sale and chattel leasing agreements

      10. 31. Resolutions

      11. 32. Minutes

      12. 33. Revision of the postal administrator’s proposals

      13. 34. Reports to creditors

   2. CHAPTER 2 Company Meetings

      1. 35. Venue and conduct of company meeting

6. PART 5 DISPOSAL OF CHARGED PROPERTY

   1. 36. Authority to dispose of property

7. PART 6 EXPENSES OF THE POSTAL ADMINISTRATION

   1. 37. Priority of expenses of postal administration

   2. 38. Pre-postal administration costs

8. PART 7 DISTRIBUTION TO CREDITORS

   1. CHAPTER 1 Application of Part and General

      1. 39. Distribution to creditors generally

      2. 40. Debts of insolvent company to rank equally

      3. 41. Supplementary provisions as to dividend

      4. 42. Division of unsold assets

   2. CHAPTER 2 Machinery of Proving a Debt

      1. 43. Proving a debt

      2. 44. Costs of proving

      3. 45. Postal administrator to allow inspection of proofs

      4. 46. New postal administrator appointed

      5. 47. Admission and rejection of proofs for dividend

      6. 48. Appeal against decision on proof

      7. 49. Withdrawal or variation of proof

      8. 50. Expunging of proof by the court

   3. CHAPTER 3 Quantification of Claims

      1. 51. Estimate of quantum

      2. 52. Negotiable instruments, etc

      3. 53. Secured creditors

      4. 54. Discounts

      5. 55. Mutual credits and set-off

      6. 56. Debt in foreign currency

      7. 57. Payments of a periodical nature

      8. 58. Interest

      9. 59. Debt payable at future time

      10. 60. Value of security

      11. 61. Surrender for non-disclosure

      12. 62. Redemption by postal administrator

      13. 63. Test of security’s value

      14. 64. Realisation of security by creditor

      15. 65. Notice of proposed distribution

      16. 66. Admission or rejection of proofs

      17. 67. Postponement or cancellation of dividend

      18. 68. Declaration of dividend

      19. 69. Notice of declaration of a dividend

      20. 70. Payments of dividends and related matters

      21. 71. Notice of no dividend, or no further dividend

      22. 72. Proof altered after payment of dividend

      23. 73. Secured creditors

      24. 74. Disqualification from dividend

      25. 75. Assignment of right to dividend

      26. 76. Debt payable at future time

9. PART 8 THE POSTAL ADMINISTRATOR

   1. 77. Fixing of remuneration

10. PART 9 ENDING POSTAL ADMINISTRATION

    1. 78. Final progress reports

    2. 79. Application to court

    3. 80. Notification by postal administrator of court order

    4. 81. Moving from postal administration to creditors’ voluntary liquidation

    5. 82. Moving from postal administration to dissolution

    6. 83. Provision of information to the Secretary of State

11. PART 10 REPLACING POSTAL ADMINISTRATOR

    1. 84. Grounds for resignation

    2. 85. Notice of intention to resign

    3. 86. Notice of resignation

    4. 87. Application to court to remove postal administrator from office

    5. 88. Notice of vacation of office when postal administrator ceases to be qualified to act

    6. 89. Postal administrator deceased

    7. 90. Application to replace

    8. 91. Notification and advertisement of appointment of replacement postal administrator

    9. 92. Notification and advertisement of appointment of joint postal administrator

    10. 93. Notification to Registrar

    11. 94. Postal administrator’s duties on vacating office

12. PART 11 COURT PROCEDURE AND PRACTICE

    1. CHAPTER 1 Applications

       1. 95. Preliminary

       2. 96. Form and contents of application

       3. 97. Application under Article 150A(5) of the 1989 Order to disapply Article 150A of the 1989 Order

       4. 98. Filing and service of application

       5. 99. Notice of application under Article 150A(5) of the 1989 Order

       6. 100. Hearings without notice

       7. 101. Hearing of application

       8. 102. Affidavits—general

       9. 103. Filing and service of affidavits

       10. 104. Use of reports

       11. 105. Adjournment of hearing; directions

    2. CHAPTER 2 Shorthand Writers

       1. 106. Nomination and appointment of shorthand writers

       2. 107. Remuneration

    3. CHAPTER 3 Enforcement Procedures

       1. 108. Enforcement of court orders

       2. 109. Orders enforcing compliance with the Rules

       3. 110. Warrants under Article 200 of the 1989 Order

    4. CHAPTER 4 Court Records and Returns

       1. 111. Court file

    5. CHAPTER 5 Costs and Taxation

       1. 112. Application of Chapter 5

       2. 113. Requirement to tax costs

       3. 114. Procedure where taxation required

       4. 115. Costs paid otherwise than out of the assets of the company

       5. 116. Award of costs against postal administrator

       6. 117. Applications for costs

       7. 118. Costs and expenses of witnesses

       8. 119. Final costs certificate

    6. CHAPTER 6 Persons who Lack Capacity to Manage their Affairs

       1. 120. Introductory

       2. 121. Appointment of another person to act

       3. 122. Affidavit in support of application

       4. 123. Service of notices following appointment

    7. CHAPTER 7 Appeals in Postal Administration Proceedings

       1. 124. Appeals and reviews of postal administration orders

       2. 125. Procedure on appeal

    8. CHAPTER 8 General

       1. 126. Principal court rules and practice to apply

       2. 127. Right of audience

       3. 128. Formal defects

       4. 129. Service of orders staying proceedings

       5. 130. Payment into court

       6. 131. Discovery

       7. 132. Office copies of documents

13. PART 12 PROXIES AND COMPANY REPRESENTATION

    1. 133. Definition of “proxy”

    2. 134. Issue and use of forms

    3. 135. Use of proxies at meetings

    4. 136. Retention of proxies

    5. 137. Right of inspection

    6. 138. Proxy-holder with financial interest

    7. 139. Company representation

14. PART 13 EXAMINATION OF PERSONS IN POSTAL ADMINISTRATION PROCEEDINGS

    1. 140. Preliminary

    2. 141. Form and contents of application

    3. 142. Order for examination, etc

    4. 143. Procedure for examination

    5. 144. Record of examination

    6. 145. Costs of proceedings under Article 200

15. PART 14 MISCELLANEOUS AND GENERAL

    1. 146. Power of Department to regulate certain matters

    2. 147. Costs, expenses, etc

    3. 148. Provable debts

    4. 149. False claim of status as creditor, etc

    5. 150. Punishment of offences

16. PART 15 PROVISIONS OF GENERAL EFFECT

    1. CHAPTER 1 The Giving of Notice and the Supply of Documents—general

       1. 151. Application

       2. 152. Personal delivery of documents

       3. 153. Postal delivery of documents

       4. 154. Non-receipt of notice of meeting

       5. 155. Notice etc to solicitors

    2. CHAPTER 2 The Giving of Notice and the Supply of Documents by or to a Postal administrator etc

       1. 156. Application

       2. 157. Proof of sending etc

       3. 158. Use of websites by postal administrator

       4. 159. Special provision on account of expense as to website

       5. 160. Notice etc to joint postal administrators

    3. CHAPTER 3 Service of Court Documents

       1. 161. Application of Order 65 of the Rules of the Court of Judicature to service of court documents within the jurisdiction

       2. 162. Service on joint postal administrators

       3. 163. Application of Order 65 of the Rules of the Court of Judicature to service of court documents outside the jurisdiction

    4. CHAPTER 4 Meetings

       1. 164. Quorum at meeting of creditors

       2. 165. Remote attendance at meetings of creditors

       3. 166. Action where person excluded

       4. 167. Indication to excluded person

       5. 168. Complaint

    5. CHAPTER 5 Forms

       1. 169. Forms for use in postal administration proceedings

    6. CHAPTER 6 Gazette Notices

       1. 170. Contents of notices to be gazetted under the 1989 Order or the Rules

       2. 171. Omission of unobtainable information

       3. 172. The Gazette—general

    7. CHAPTER 7 Notices Advertised Otherwise than in the Gazette

       1. 173. Notices otherwise advertised under the 1989 Order or the Rules

       2. 174. Non-Gazette notices—other provisions

    8. CHAPTER 8 Notifications to the Registrar

       1. 175. Application of this Chapter

       2. 176. Information to be contained in all notifications to the registrar

       3. 177. Notifications relating to the office of postal administrator

       4. 178. Notifications relating to documents

       5. 179. Notifications relating to court orders

       6. 180. Returns or reports of meetings

       7. 181. Notifications relating to other events

       8. 182. Notifications of more than one nature

       9. 183. Notifications made to other persons at the same time

    9. CHAPTER 9 Inspection of Documents and the Provision of Information

       1. 184. Confidentiality of documents—grounds for refusing inspection

       2. 185. Right to copy documents

       3. 186. Charges for copy documents

       4. 187. Right to have list of creditors

    10. CHAPTER 10 Computation of Time and Time Limits

        1. 188. Time

    11. CHAPTER 11 Security

        1. 189. Postal administrator’s security

    12. CHAPTER 12 Notice of Order Under Article 150A(5) of the 1989 Order

        1. 190. Notice of order under Article 150A(5) of the 1989 Order

17. PART 16 Further Interpretation Provisions

    1. 191. Interpretation

    2. 192. “The appropriate fee”

    3. 193. “Authorised deposit-taker and former authorised deposit-taker”

    4. 194. “The court”; “the Master”

    5. 195. “Debt”, “liability”

    6. 196. “Petitioner”

    7. 197. “Venue”

    8. 198. Expressions used generally

    9. 199. Application

    10. 200. Application of the 1989 Order

18. Signature

19. 1. SCHEDULE 1

       Forms

    2. SCHEDULE 2

       Punishment of offences under these rules

20. Explanatory Note