This Act shall apply to all persons or bodies of persons, whether corporate or unincorporate, not being registered under the Acts relating to friendly societies or to trade unions (which persons and bodies of persons are hereinafter referred to as assurance companies), whether established before or after the commencement of this Act and whether established within or without the Saorstát Eireann, who carry on within the Saorstát Eireann assurance business of all or any of the following classes:

(a) Life assurance business; that is to say, the issue of, or the undertaking of liability under, policies of assurance upon human life, or the granting of annuities upon human life;

(b) Fire insurance business; that is to say, the issue of, or the undertaking of liability under, policies of insurance against loss by or incidental to fire;

(c) Accident insurance business; that is to say, the issue of, or the undertaking of liability under, policies of insurance upon the happening of personal accidents, whether fatal or not, disease or sickness, or any class of personal accidents, disease, or sickness;

(d) Employers' liability insurance business; that is to say, the issue of, or the undertaking of liability under, policies insuring employers against liability to pay compensation or damages to workmen in their employment;

(e) Bond investment business; that is to say, the business of issuing bonds or endowment certificates by which the company, in return for subscriptions payable at periodical intervals of two months or less, contract to pay the bondholder a sum at a future date, and not being life assurance business as hereinbefore defined;