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Small companies regime meaning

What does Small companies regime mean?
In practice, the small companies regime is the lighter statutory framework for accounts, reporting and audit that a company may use if it meets the “small” size tests for a particular financial year. In the UK, it is set out in Companies Act 2006, Part 15 and related regulations. It applies only for a year in which the company qualifies as small and is not excluded. Key legal features include: the ability to prepare small-company accounts (typically under FRS 102 Section 1A, or FRS 105 for micro‑entities), eligibility for reduced information on public filing, potential audit exemption under Part 16 (subject to size thresholds, ineligibility categories and any shareholder audit request), and simplified narrative reporting (including exemption from the strategic report). Common exclusions include public companies and certain regulated financial and insurance undertakings; a parent cannot use the regime if the group fails the small group thresholds or contains an ineligible entity. Usage is consistent across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland under CA 2006. In Ireland, a parallel statutory regime exists under the Companies Act 2014 (as amended), with its own thresholds, exclusions and small-group tests; qualifying companies benefit from reduced disclosures and may claim audit exemption. Legal advisers use...
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NEWS
Environmental law and policy roundup: climate, energy, buildings, nuclear, case law, information rights, ESG, chemicals, marine, biodiversity, waste and water—weekly updates, 12 June 2025

In this issue: Air emissions and climate change Energy efficiency and buildings Energy for environmental lawyers Environmental disputes and proceedings Environmental information ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Marine Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Waste Waste producer responsibility regimes Water, flooding and drainage Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content United Kingdom Environmental Law Association (UKELA) Annual Conference Air emissions and climate change DESNZ releases evaluations of CCUS and Industrial Fuel Switching and Hydrogen Supply innovation programmes The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has issued two independent evaluations of its Energy Innovation Programme (EIP). The first evaluation reviews the Carbon Capture and Utilisation Demonstration (CCUD) innovation programme, the Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) Innovation programme, and the Accelerating CCS Technologies (ACT) programme, spanning 2016–21. The second evaluation examines the £21m Industrial Fuel Switching and £33m Hydrogen Supply programmes. Both evaluations consider...

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NEWS
UK PSR fixes 7 October for mandatory APP fraud reimbursement; fines up to 10% of turnover; FCA acts; Pay.UK central case-management system pending; reimbursement league tables imminent

Chris Hemsley, the Payment Systems Regulator’s managing director, informed the Treasury Committee that an October deadline has been firmly set for the regime obliging banks and other payment firms to refund customers deceived into sending money to criminals. He said the watchdog has imposed obligations on payment firms to observe the new rules and repay APP fraud victims from 7 October. Companies that do not comply could face fines of up to 10% of their turnover. ‘Across the firms, some are in good shape already, while others still have distance to travel,’ Hemsley said. ‘They will need their own arrangements in place to answer phone calls, manage cases and look after customers.’ ‘We have a team in place and ready. They will monitor and escalate concerns where firms are unable to comply,’ he added. He noted that some newer small banks are falling...

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NEWS
UK and EU financial services weekly briefing for lawyers: Spring Budget 2024, FCA supervision and enforcement, AML and sanctions, ESG, markets and fintech updates (7 March 2024)

In this issue: Spring Budget 2024 Brexit UK, EU and international regulators and bodies Authorisations, approvals and supervision Prudential requirements Financial crime and sanctions Complaints, compensation and claims handling Investigations, enforcement and discipline Capital markets regulation Benchmark regulation and IBOR reform Derivatives regulation Dispute resolution for financial services lawyers Sustainable finance and ESG Banks and mutuals Investment funds and asset management Insurance regulation Payment services and systems Fintech and cryptoassets Competition in financial services EEA Agreement Annex IX (Financial Services) Financial Services Enforcement Database Daily and weekly news alerts Intraday news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Spring Budget 2024 Spring Budget 2024—key Financial Services announcements In the Spring Budget 2024, the chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, unveiled a suite of measures affecting financial services, including in particular the possible creation of a Private...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UK micro-entity regime for LLPs: qualification thresholds (including 2025 changes), exclusions, accounts (FRS 105), audit exemptions and Companies House filing

STOP PRESS: The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA 2023) secured Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. Its objective is to strengthen corporate transparency in the UK, primarily via Companies House reform and amendments to provisions of the Companies Act 2006. The Act also looks to modernise the regime for limited partnerships and confer stronger powers to address economic crime. ECCTA 2023 will be commenced in stages. Several provisions commenced on 4 March 2024 and may affect this content. For further details, see Practice Notes: Implementation of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 and The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023—tracker, especially the legislation and consultation tracker. Rules and guidance The statutory requirements for the annual accounts of limited liability partnerships (LLPs) that meet the micro-entity threshold (a subset of small LLPs) are contained in: Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) The Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008,...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Orphan Medicinal Products: EU and UK Regulatory Frameworks—Designation, Authorisation, Market Exclusivity, Derogations, Key Case Law and Forthcoming Reforms

(OMPs) are medicines that help prevent, identify or treat rare illnesses and medical conditions. Because the number of people affected is very small, without incentives, pharmaceutical companies may doubt whether sales would cover the research and development (R&D) costs of medical products to detect, prevent and treat such disorders. In the relevant EU law, 'rare' is defined as affecting fewer than five in 10,000 people in the EU. Yet most rare conditions impact fewer than one in 100,000 people. Although each individual rare disease is uncommon, they carry major public health importance and significance. There are thought to be more than 6,000 distinct rare diseases; so, while each is infrequent on its own, together they account for a substantial patient population, roughly one in every 12 people in the EU (all rare diseases combined). In the absence of incentives, it is frequently not commercially feasible for pharmaceutical companies to develop and market OMPs, and only about 5% of rare diseases currently have an authorised treatment option available...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Directors’ loss‑of‑office payments: UK Companies Act 2006 shareholder approval regime, exceptions and remedies; plus additional requirements for quoted and listed companies (UK Listing Rules, UK Corporate Governance Code)

Under the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006), there are rules governing payments a company makes to a director by way of compensation for loss of office. Because these arrangements are especially susceptible to misuse, they must be approved by shareholders. Their interplay with the general statutory duties of directors is addressed in Practice Note: Directors' duties—scope, nature, interpretation and application. Among those duties is an obligation to inform the board whenever the director has, directly or indirectly, any interest in a proposed transaction or arrangement with their company, specifying the nature and extent of that interest. In relation to: the requirement to disclose an interest in a company transaction or arrangement, see Practice Note: Declaration of a director's interests—the statutory provisions; a director’s ability to participate, whether as a director or as a member, in decisions on such a transaction or arrangement, see Practice Note: Declaration of a director's interests—articles of association For these purposes, ‘director’ covers anyone occupying the role of...

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