(i)	The Ordinary Shares represent 99.53% of the total issued share capital as at 31 December 2021 (2020: 93.71%).

(ii)	The Income Shares were cancelled with effect from 9 February 2021 pursuant to a resolution approved by the Shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting of the Company held on 9 February 2021 (2020: Income Shares represented 5.86% of the total issued share capital).

(iii)

During 2021, 21,000,000 Ordinary Shares (2020: 4,500,000 Ordinary Shares including Income Shares) were cancelled. The amount paid to repurchase these shares was initially recognised in Treasury Shares/own shares and was transferred to retained income on cancellation.

Share schemes

The aggregate number of shares which may be committed for issue in respect of any share option scheme, savings-related share option scheme, share participation scheme, performance share plan or any subsequent option scheme or share plan, may not exceed 10% of the issued ordinary share capital from time to time.

Share option schemes

Details of share options granted under the Company’s Share Option Schemes and the terms attaching thereto are provided in note 8 to the financial statements. Under these schemes, options over a total of 521,523 Ordinary Shares were exercised during the financial year, which were satisfied by the reissue of Treasury Shares (2020: 256,521; 2019: 1,147,149).

Share participation schemes

As at 31 December 2021, 8,444,240 (2020: 8,319,280) Ordinary Shares had been appropriated to participation schemes. In 2021, the appropriation was satisfied by the purchase of 124,960 shares (2020: 144,702 satisfied by the purchase of shares). The Ordinary Shares appropriated pursuant to these schemes were issued at market value on the dates of appropriation. The shares issued pursuant to these schemes are excluded from the scope of IFRS 2 and are hence not factored into the expense computation and the associated disclosures in note 8.


Preference share capital	5 % Cumulative Preference Shares of € 1.27 each				7 % ‘A’ Cumulative Preference Shares of € 1.27 each
	Number of Shares ‘000s		$m		Number of Shares ‘000s		$m
Authorised
At 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021		150		-		872		1

Allotted, called-up and fully paid
At 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021		50		-		872		1

There was no movement in the number of cumulative preference shares in either the current or the prior year.

The holders of the 5% Cumulative Preference Shares are entitled to a fixed cumulative preference dividend at a rate of 5% per annum and priority in a

winding-up

to repayment of capital, but have no further right to participate in profits or assets and are not entitled to be present or vote at general meetings unless their dividend is in arrears. Dividends on the 5% Cumulative Preference Shares are payable half-yearly on 15 April and 15 October in each year. The 5% Cumulative Preference Shares represent 0.03% of the total issued share capital as at 31 December 2021 (2020: 0.02%).

The holders of the 7% ‘A’ Cumulative Preference Shares are entitled to a fixed cumulative preference dividend at a rate of 7% per annum, and subject to the rights of the holders of the 5% Cumulative Preference Shares, priority in a

winding-up

to repayment of capital, but have no further right to participate in profits or assets and are not entitled to be present or vote at general meetings unless their dividend is in arrears or unless the business of the meeting includes certain matters, which are specified in the Articles of Association. Dividends on the 7% ‘A’ Cumulative Preference Shares are payable half-yearly on 5 April and 5 October in each year. The 7% ‘A’ Cumulative Preference Shares represent 0.44% of the total issued share capital as at 31 December 2021 (2020: 0.41%).


Treasury Shares/own shares	2021 $m		2020 $m
At 1 January		(386)		(360)
Own Shares released by the Employee Benefit Trust under the 2014 Performance Share Plan		117		65
Shares acquired by CRH plc (Treasury Shares) (i)		(880)		(220)
Shares acquired by Employee Benefit Trust (own shares)		(16)		(29)
Treasury Shares/own shares reissued (ii)		19		8
Cancellation of Treasury Shares		951		150
At 31 December		(195)		(386)

Notes (i) to (ii) are set out overleaf.

The movement in the number of Treasury Shares/own shares during the financial year is outlined in the table below (2020: includes Income Shares):


	Number of shares
	2021		2020
At 1 January		10,320,739		10,236,356
Own Shares released by the Employee Benefit Trust under the 2014 Performance Share Plan		(3,254,236)		(2,180,467)
Shares acquired by CRH plc (Treasury Shares) (i)		17,829,602		5,951,146
Shares acquired by Employee Benefit Trust (own shares)		345,981		1,070,225
Treasury Shares/own shares reissued (ii)		(521,523)		(256,521)
Cancellation of Treasury Shares		(21,000,000)		(4,500,000)
At 31 December		3,720,563		10,320,739

Split of Treasury Shares/own shares (iii)
Treasury Shares		3,476,859		10,087,161
Own shares		243,704		233,578
		3,720,563		10,320,739

(i)

During 2021, CRH repurchased a total of

17,829,602

Ordinary Shares returning a further $0.9 billion of cash to shareholders. This brings total cash returned to shareholders under the share buyback programme (‘the Programme’) to $2.9 billion since its commencement in May 2018.

(ii)	These reissued Treasury Shares were previously purchased at an average price of $37.15 (2020: $32.45).

(iii)

As at the balance sheet date, the nominal value of the Treasury Shares and own shares was

€

1.1 million and

€

0.1 million respectively (2020:

€

3.4 million and

€

0.1 million respectively). Dividends have been waived by the Trustees of the own shares.


	2021				2020
	Number of Shares		$m		Number of Shares		$m
Ordinary Shares repurchased during the period (Treasury Shares)		17,829,602		880		5,951,146		220
Financial liability as at 31 December				281				-
Total				1,161				220

At 31 December 2021 a financial liability of $281 million (2020: $nil

million) was included in other payables in respect of the latest phase of the Programme which was entered into with Sociéte Générale. This phase will end no later than 30 March 2022.


Share premium	2021 $m	2020 $m
At 1 January	7,493	7,493
Reduction of share premium (iv)	(7,493)	-
At 31 December	-	7,493

(iv)

Pursuant to a special resolution approved by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 29 April 2021 and the subsequent order of the High Court of Ireland made on 3 June 2021, the capital of the Company was reduced by the entire amount standing to the credit of the Company’s share premium account as at 31 December 2020, with the reserve resulting from the reduction being treated as profits available for distribution as defined by Section 117 of the Companies Act 2014. A copy of the aforementioned order of the High Court was filed with the Companies Registration Office in Ireland on 3 June 2021.