Part 1: Companies House Reform Disqualification in relation to companies Section 38: Disqualification of persons designated under sanctions legislation: NI
This section inserts new Article 15 to the Company Directors Disqualification (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 ("CDDNIO 2002"), as well as amends Articles 18, 19 and 22 of the CDD(NI)O 2002.
	Article 15A of the CDDNIO 2002 provides that any person subject to director disqualification sanctions commits an offence if they act as a director or take part in or be concerned in the promotion, formation or management of a company, either directly or indirectly, unless they have been issued with a licence or unless an exception applies. This offence is committed in Northern Ireland by any "person who is subject to director disqualification sanctions" as defined in Article 15A(4) of the CDDNIO 2002. This applies to anyone designated in accordance with regulations made under the Sanctions and Anit-Money Laundering Act 2018 as a person subject to sanctions for the purposes of section 11A of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 as well as Article 15A of the CDDNIO 2002. A person guilty of an offence under Article 15A will be subject to the criminal penalties under Article 18 CDD(NI)O 2002. An equivalent offence effective in Great Britain is provided in section 36.
	Section 38 also changes Article 19 of the CDDNIO 2002, by making (i) a designated person acting in contravention of the disqualified director sanctions, as well as (ii) persons acting on their instructions, personally liable for the relevant company’s debts. Changes to Article 19 of the CDDNIO 2002 also clarify, that (i) a designated person, who did not know or could not reasonably have been expected to know they were subject to director disqualification sanctions, as well as (ii) a person who acted on instructions that they reasonably believed were authorised, is not responsible for relevant debts incurred in this period. The term "authorised" is defined in section 15(8) for the purpose of this section.
	Lastly this section amends Article 22 of the CDDNIO 2002 by requiring the Northern Ireland Department to publish information about persons who are subject to director disqualification sanctions, including any licences issued to them, on the register of disqualification orders and undertakings.