(1) An application for reservation of the name of a company must be sent or delivered to the Registrar, and must be in the prescribed form.
(2) The Registrar must not reserve a name—
(a) the use of which would contravene an enactment; or
(b) that is identical or almost identical to the name of another company or another company under the Companies Act 1955; or
(c) that is identical or almost identical to a name that the Registrar has already reserved under this Act or the Companies Act 1955 and that is still available for registration; or
(d) that, in the opinion of the Registrar, is offensive.
(3) The Registrar must advise the applicant by notice in writing—
(a) whether or not the Registrar has reserved the name; and
(b) if the name has been reserved, that, unless the reservation is sooner revoked by the Registrar, the name is available for registration of a company with that name or on a change of name for 20 working days after the date stated in the notice.
Section 23(3)(b): amended, on 1 July 1994, by section 2 of the Companies Act 1993 Amendment Act 1994 (1994 No 6).