The Secretary of State may make provision by regulations as to the obligations of a company that is required by any provision of the Companies Acts—
to keep available for inspection any company records, or
to provide copies of any company records.
A company that fails to comply with the regulations is treated as having refused inspection or, as the case may be, having failed to provide a copy.
The regulations may—
make provision as to the time, duration and manner of inspection, including the circumstances in which and extent to which the copying of information is permitted in the course of inspection, and
define what may be required of the company as regards the nature, extent and manner of extracting or presenting any information for the purposes of inspection or the provision of copies.
Where there is power to charge a fee, the regulations may make provision as to the amount of the fee and the basis of its calculation.
Nothing in any provision of this Act or in the regulations shall be read as preventing a company—
from affording more extensive facilities than are required by the regulations, or
where a fee may be charged, from charging a lesser fee than that prescribed or none at all.
Regulations under this section are subject to negative resolution procedure.