**EXHIBIT 8.1**

 

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**List of significant subsidiaries**

| at  December 31, 2004                                                                    |   |     |             |   |      |                 |   |                                               |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |   |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------|----------|------------------|--------|-----------|----------------------|--------|----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------|
|                                                                                     |   |     | Class of capital |   |      | Held by ICI %        |   |                                               | Principal activities in 2004                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |   |
| **UNITED KINGDOM****ICI Finance PLC**England                                             |   |     |                  |   |      |                      |   |                                               |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |   |
| Ordinary                                                                                 |   |     | 100†        |   |      | Financial services   |   |
| **Quest International (Fragrances,    Flavours, Food Ingredients) UK****Limited**England |   |     | Ordinary         |   |      | 100†            |   |                                               | Manufacture of flavours and fragrances                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |   |
| **CONTINENTAL EUROPE****Deutsche ICI GmbH**Germany                                       |   |     |             |   |      |                 |   |                                               |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |   |
|                                                                                     |   | Ordinary |             |   | 100† |                 |   | Manufacture of paints, adhesives and oleochemicals |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| **Quest International Nederland BV**The Netherlands                                      |   |     | Ordinary         |   |      | 100†            |   |                                               | Manufacture of flavours                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |   |
| **Unichema Chemie BV**The Netherlands                                                    |   |     | Ordinary         |   |      | 100†            |   |                                               | Manufacture of specialty oleochemicals and derivatives                                                                                                                                                                                                         |   |
| **THE AMERICAS****ICI American Holdings Inc**USA                                         |   |     |             |   |      |                 |   |                                               |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |   |
|                                                                                     |   | Common   |             |   | 100† |                 |   | Holding company                                    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| **The Glidden Company**USA                                                               |   |     | Common           |   |      | 100†            |   |                                               | Manufacture of paints                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |   |
| **Indopco Inc**USA                                                                       |   |     | Common           |   |      | 100†            |   |                                               | Manufacture of adhesives, industrial starches, electronic materials, flavourings, fragrances, oleochemicals, resins and specialty chemicals                                                                                                                    |   |
| **ICI Canada Inc**Canada                                                                 |   |     | Common           |   |      | 100†            |   |                                               | Manufacture of paints; merchanting of ICI and other products                                                                                                                                                                                                   |   |
| **Tintas Coral Ltda**Brazil                                                              |   |     | Ordinary         |   |      | 100†            |   |                                               | Manufacture of paints                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |   |
| **ASIA PACIFIC******                                                                     |   |     |             |   |      |                 |   |                                               |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |   |
| **ICI India Ltd**India(Accounting date March 31;reporting date December 31)              |   |     |  Equity*    |   |      |     51     |   |                                               |  Manufacture of paints, surfactants, flavours and fragrances, rubber chemicals and adhesives                                                                                                                                                              |   |
|                                                                                     |
| **ICI Pakistan Ltd**Pakistan                                                             |   |     | Ordinary*        |   |      |   76† |   |                                               | Manufacture of polyester staple fibre, POY chips, soda ash, paints, specialty chemicals, sodium bicarbonate and polyurethanes; marketing of seeds; toll manufactured and imported pharmaceuticals and animal health products; merchanting of general chemicals |   |
| **Pakistan PTA Ltd**Pakistan                                                             |   |     | Ordinary*        |   |      |   75† |   |                                               | Manufacture of pure terephthalic acid                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |   |
| **Nippon NSC Ltd**Japan                                                                  |   |     | Common           |   |      | 100†            |   |                                               | Manufacture of adhesives and specialty synthetic polymers;  merchanting of starch products                                                                                                                                                                     |   |
| **National Starch and Chemical (Thailand) Ltd**Thailand                                  |   |     | Ordinary         |   |      | 100†            |   |                                               | Manufacture of food and industrial starches                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |   |

† Held by subsidiaries* Listed 

The country of principal operations and registration or incorporation is stated below each company.  The accounting dates of principal subsidiary undertakings are December 31 unless otherwise stated.

The companies listed above are those whose results, in the opinion of Directors, principally affected the profits or assets of the Group.  A full list of subsidiary and associated undertakings at December 31 will be annexed to the next annual return of the Company to be filed with the Registrar of Companies.

 

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