Companies Act 2014 section 326

Directors' report: general matters

Section 326 sets out the general matters that must be included in the directors' report for a financial year, covering mandatory disclosures, conditional disclosures, financial instrument reporting, and group reporting requirements.

• Every directors' report must state the names of all directors during the year, the company's principal activities, measures taken to maintain proper accounting records and their location, and details of interim and recommended final dividends.
• Where relevant, the report must also cover significant post-year-end events, research and development activities, overseas branches, and political donations requiring disclosure under the Electoral Act 1997.
• Where material to assessing the company's financial position, the report must describe the use of financial instruments, risk management objectives and hedging policies, and exposure to price, credit, liquidity, and cash flow risk — though small and micro companies are exempt from this requirement.
• For group directors' reports, the disclosures relating to principal activities, accounting records, conditional matters, and financial instruments must cover the parent company and all subsidiary undertakings included in the consolidation.