Companies Act 2014 section 339

Right to demand copies of financial statements and reports

Section 339 establishes the rights of company members and debenture holders to demand copies of the company's financial statements, directors' reports, and auditors' reports, free of charge, and sets out the rules, charges, time limits, and penalties that apply.

• Members and debenture holders are entitled to receive, on demand and free of charge, copies of the company's most recent statutory financial statements, the directors' report, and the statutory auditors' report.
• Where group financial statements do not cover a subsidiary undertaking, members can request that subsidiary's financial statements and reports free of charge; for older subsidiary statements presented at annual general meetings, a maximum charge of €3.00 per financial year applies, and requests are limited to statements from the last ten years.
• Documents may be sent electronically unless the company's constitution provides otherwise, and if a demand is not met within 14 days, the company and any officer in default — including shadow and de facto directors — commit a category 3 offence.
• The court may intervene where the right to demand copies is being abused, may order that copies need not be sent, and may require the member making abusive demands to pay the company's costs.

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