Section 2 (as amended by the Act of 2005) of the Act of 1997 is amended by substituting the following paragraphs for paragraph (c):

"(c) a public limited company -

(i) one or more of the securities of which are, for the time being, authorised to be traded on any of the following markets, namely:

(I) one or more of the markets operated by the London Stock Exchange or any successor of that Exchange (whether created by the merger of 2 or more exchanges or otherwise);

(II) the New York Stock Exchange;

(III) the market known as Nasdaq operated by Nasdaq Stock Market, Incorporated,

or

(ii) falling within any other class of public limited company which, in order to secure more fully the protection of shareholders, the Minister, after consultation with the Panel, prescribes for the purposes of this paragraph,

other than a public limited company (in section 2B referred to as an 'excepted company') the only securities of which, for the time being, are authorised to be traded on a market referred to in any of the preceding clauses are those specified in section 2B,