183. (1) Subject to subsection (3), any member of a company entitled to attend and vote at a meeting of the company shall be entitled to appoint another person (whether a member or not) as his or her proxy to attend and vote instead of him or her.

(2) A proxy so appointed shall have the same right as the member to speak at the meeting and to vote on a show of hands and on a poll.

(3) Unless the company’s constitution otherwise provides, a member of a company shall not be entitled to appoint more than one proxy to attend on the same occasion.

(4) The instrument appointing a proxy (the “instrument of proxy”) shall be in writing—

(a) under the hand of the appointer or of his or her attorney duly authorised in writing; or

(b) if the appointer is a body corporate, either under seal of the body corporate or under the hand of an officer or attorney of it duly authorised in writing.

(5) The instrument of proxy and the power of attorney or other authority, if any, under which it is signed, or a notarially certified copy of that power or authority, shall be deposited at the registered office of the company concerned or at such other place within the State as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, and shall be so deposited not later than the following time.

(6) That time is—

(a) 48 hours (or such lesser period as the company's constitution may provide) before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote; or

(b) in the case of a poll, 48 hours (or such lesser period as the company's constitution may provide) before the time appointed for the taking of the poll.

(7) The depositing of the instrument of proxy referred to in subsection (5) may, rather than its being effected by sending or delivering the instrument, be effected by communicating the instrument to the company by electronic means, and this subsection likewise applies to the depositing of anything else referred to in subsection (5).

(8) If subsection (5) or (6) is not complied with, the instrument of proxy shall not be treated as valid.

(9) Subject to subsection (10), a vote given in accordance with the terms of an instrument of proxy shall be valid notwithstanding the F62[previous death of the appointer] or revocation of the proxy or of the authority under which the proxy was executed or the transfer of the share in respect of which the proxy is given.

(10) Subsection (9) does not apply if notice in writing of F62[such death, revocation or transfer] as is mentioned in that subsection is received by the company concerned at its registered office before the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the proxy is used.

(11) Subject to subsection (12), if, for the purpose of any meeting of a company, invitations to appoint as proxy a person or one of a number of persons specified in the invitations are issued at the company's expense to some only of the members entitled to be sent a notice of the meeting and to vote at it by proxy, any officer of the company who knowingly and intentionally authorises or permits their issue in that manner shall be guilty of a category 3 offence.

(12) An officer shall not be guilty of an offence under subsection (11) by reason only of the issue to a member, at his or her request in writing, of a form of appointment naming the proxy or of a list of persons willing to act as proxy if the form or list is available on request in writing to every member entitled to vote at the meeting by proxy.