Part 15Accounts and reports

Chapter 7Publication of accounts and reports

Quoted companies: requirements as to website publication

430Quoted companies: annual accounts and reports to be made available on website

1

A quoted company must ensure that its annual accounts and reports—

a

are made available on a website, and

b

remain so available until the annual accounts and reports for the company’s next financial year are made available in accordance with this section.

2

The annual accounts and reports must be made available on a website that—

a

is maintained by or on behalf of the company, and

b

identifies the company in question.

3

Access to the annual accounts and reports on the website, and the ability to obtain a hard copy of the annual accounts and reports from the website, must not be—

a

conditional on the payment of a fee, or

b

otherwise restricted, except so far as necessary to comply with any enactment or regulatory requirement (in the United Kingdom or elsewhere).

4

The annual accounts and reports—

a

must be made available as soon as reasonably practicable, and

b

must be kept available throughout the period specified in subsection (1)(b).

5

A failure to make the annual accounts and reports available on a website throughout that period is disregarded if—

a

the annual accounts and reports are made available on the website for part of that period, and

b

the failure is wholly attributable to circumstances that it would not be reasonable to have expected the company to prevent or avoid.

6

In the event of default in complying with this section, an offence is committed by every officer of the company who is in default.

7

A person guilty of an offence under subsection (6) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.