503. (1) Where an application is made under section 500 to the court for an order confirming a division this section applies.

(2) The court, on being satisfied that—

(a) the requirements of this Chapter have been complied with,

(b) proper provision has been made for—

(i) any minority shareholder in any of the companies involved in the division who has made a request under section 499, and

(ii) any creditor of any of the companies who objects to the division in accordance with section 501,

(c) the rights of holders of securities other than shares in the transferor company are safeguarded in accordance with section 502, and

(d) where applicable, the relevant provisions of Chapter 4 of Part 3 on the variation of the rights attached to any class of shares in any of the companies involved in the division have been complied with,

may make an order confirming the division with effect from such date as the court appoints (the “effective date”).

(3) In the case of an asset or liability (including any contractual right or obligation or the obligation to make any cash payment), references in subsequent provisions of this section to the relevant successor company or companies are references to such one or (as the case may be) more than one of the successor companies—

(a) as provided for in respect of the matter concerned by the common draft terms of division, or

(b) in the cases or circumstances specified in whichever of the following is applicable, namely, section 490(5) or (6) or section 501(2) or (3)—

(i) subject to where it permits such provision by an order of the court, as provided for in that applicable provision (including, where relevant, as regards the nature of the joint liability), or

(ii) as provided for in an order of the court under this section.

(4) The order of the court confirming the division shall, from the effective date, have the following effects:

(a) each asset and liability of the transferor company is transferred to the relevant successor company or companies;

(b) where no request has been made by minority shareholders under section 499, all remaining members of the transferor company except any successor company (if it is a member of the transferor company) become members of the successor companies or any of them as provided by the common draft terms of division;

(c) the transferor company is dissolved;

(d) all legal proceedings pending by or against the transferor company shall be continued with the substitution, for the transferor company, of the successor companies or such of them as the court before which the proceedings have been brought may order;

(e) the relevant successor company or companies is or are obliged to make to the members of the transferor company any cash payment required by the common draft terms of division;

(f) every contract, agreement or instrument to which the transferor company is a party shall, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in that contract, agreement or instrument, be read and have effect as if—

(i) the relevant successor company or companies had been a party or parties thereto instead of the transferor company,

(ii) for any reference (however worded and whether express or implied) to the transferor company there were substituted a reference to the relevant successor company or companies, and

(iii) any reference (however worded and whether express or implied) to the directors, officers, representatives or employees of the transferor company, or any of them—

(I) were, respectively, a reference to the directors, officers, representatives or employees of the relevant successor company or companies or to such director, officer, representative or employee of that company or those companies as that company nominates or, as the case may be, those companies nominate for that purpose, or

(II) in default of such nomination, were, respectively, a reference to the director, officer, representative or employee of the relevant successor company or companies who corresponds as nearly as may be to the first-mentioned director, officer, representative or employee;

(g) every contract, agreement or instrument to which the transferor company is a party becomes a contract, agreement or instrument between the relevant successor company or companies and the counterparty with the same rights, and subject to the same obligations, liabilities and incidents (including rights of set-off), as would have been applicable thereto if that contract, agreement or instrument had continued in force between the transferor company and the counterparty;

(h) any money due and owing (or payable) by or to the transferor company under or by virtue of any such contract, agreement or instrument as is mentioned in paragraph (g) shall become due and owing (or payable) by or to the relevant successor company or companies instead of the transferor F333[company;]

(i) an offer or invitation to treat made to or by the transferor company before the effective date shall be read and have effect, respectively, as an offer or invitation to treat made to or by the relevant successor company or F333[companies; and]

F334[(j) any fully paid shares previously issued by a successor company, and held by a transferor company, and which are acquired by a successor company in itself pursuant to a division under this Chapter, shall be deemed to be treasury shares held by the successor company concerned to which section 109 applies.]

(5) The following provisions have effect for the purposes of subsection (4)—

(a) “instrument” in that subsection includes—

(i) a lease, conveyance, transfer or charge or any other instrument relating to real property (including chattels real); and

(ii) an instrument relating to personalty;

(b) paragraph (f)(ii) of that subsection applies in the case of references to the transferor company and its successors and assigns as it applies in the case of references to the transferor company personally;

(c) paragraph (g) of that subsection applies in the case of rights, obligations and liabilities mentioned in that paragraph whether they are expressed in the contract, agreement or instrument concerned to be personal to the transferor company or to benefit or bind (as appropriate) the transferor company and its successors and assigns.

(6) Without prejudice to subsections (7) and (8), such of the successor companies as is or are appropriate shall comply with registration requirements and any other special formalities required by law and as directed by the court for the transfer of the assets and liabilities of the transferor company to be effective in relation to other persons.

(7) There shall be entered by the keeper of any register in the State—

(a) upon production of a certified copy of the order under subsection (2); and

(b) without the necessity of there being produced any other document (and, accordingly, any provision requiring such production shall, if it would otherwise apply, not apply),

the name of the relevant successor company (or, as appropriate, the names of the relevant successor companies) in place of the transferor company in respect of the information, act, ownership or other matter in that register and any document kept in that register.

(8) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (7), the Property Registration Authority, as respects any deed (within the meaning of section 32 of the Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2006) registered by that Authority or produced for registration by it, shall, upon production of the document referred to in subsection (7)(a) but without the necessity of there being produced that which is referred to in subsection (7)(b), enter the name of the relevant successor company (or, as appropriate, the names of the relevant successor companies) in place of the transferor company in respect of such deed.

(9) Without prejudice to the application of subsection (7) to any other type of register in the State, each of the following shall be deemed to be a register in the State for the purposes of that subsection:

(a) the register of members of a company referred to in section 169;

(b) the register of holders of debentures of a public limited company kept pursuant to section 1120;

(c) the register kept by a public limited company for the purposes of sections 1048 to 1053;

(d) the register of charges kept by the Registrar pursuant to section 414;

(e) the Land Registry;

(f) any register of shipping kept under the Mercantile Marine Act 1955.

(10) If the taking effect of the division would fall at a time (being the time ascertained by reference to the general law and without regard to this subsection) on the particular date appointed under subsection (2) that is a time that would not, in the opinion of the court, be suitable having regard to the need of the parties to co-ordinate various transactions, the court may, in appointing a date under subsection (2) with respect to when the division takes effect, specify a time, different from the foregoing, on that date when the division takes effect and, where such a time is so specified—

(a) the division takes effect on that time of the date concerned, and

(b) references in this section to the effective date shall be read accordingly.