TERMS OF REFERENCE
Constitution
1. The Board of Directors has resolved to establish an Audit Committee
of the Board.
Membership
2. The Committee has been appointed by the Board and consists of two
members, Eamonn O'Hare and Lucy Neville-Rolfe (both non-executive).
A quorum shall be two members.
3. The Board has appointed Eamonn O'Hare as the Chairman of the
Committee.
Attendance At Meetings
4. James Barnes,the Chief Executive Officer of the Company; Sharon
Brown, Finance Director of the Company; and a representative of
the external auditors may be invited to attend meetings. Other
Board members also have the right of attendance. The Committee
should meet with the external auditors, without executive Board
members present, if need be.
5. Sharon Brown shall be the Secretary of the Committee.
Frequency of Meetings
6. Meetings shall be held not less than three times a year. The external
auditors may request a meeting if they consider that one is necessary.
Authority
7. The Committee has been authorised by the Board to investigate any
activity within its terms of reference. It is authorised to seek
any information it requires from any employee and all employees are
directed to co-operate with any request made by the Committee.
8. The Committee has been authorised by the Board to obtain outside
legal or other independent professional advice and to secure the
attendance of outsiders with relevant experience.
Responsibilities
9. The responsibilities of the Committee shall be:
a. to consider the appointment of the external auditor and assess
independence of the external auditor, ensuring that key partners
are rotated at appropriate intervals;
b. to recommend the audit fee to the Board and pre-approve any
fees in respect of non audit services provided by the
external auditor and to ensure that the provision of non audit
services does not impair the external auditors’ independence
or objectivity;
c. to discuss with the external auditor, before the audit commences,
the nature and scope of the audit and to review the auditors’
quality control procedures and steps taken by the auditor to
respond to changes in regulatory and other requirements;
d. to oversee the process for selecting the external auditor and make
appropriate recommendations through the Board to the
shareholders to consider at the AGM;
e. to review the external auditor’s management letter and
management’s response;
f. to consider the process of internal audit and whether a separate
function is necessary;
g. to consider management’s response to any major external or
internal audit recommendations;
h. to review the company’s procedures for handling allegations from
whistleblowers;
i. to review management’s reports on the effectiveness of systems
for internal financial control, financial reporting and risk
management;
j. to review, and challenge where necessary, the actions and
judgements of management, in relation to the interim and
annual financial statements before submission to the board,
paying particular attention to:
i. critical accounting policies and practices, and any changes in
them
ii. decisions requiring a major element of judgement
iii. the extent to which the financial statements are affected
by any unusual transactions in the year and how they are
disclosed
iv. the clarity of disclosures
v. significant adjustments resulting from the audit
vi. the going concern assumption
vii. compliance with accounting standards
viii. compliance with stock exchange and other legal
requirements
ix. reviewing the company’s statement on internal control
systems prior to endorsement by the Board and to review
the policies and process for identifying and assessing
business risks and the management of those risks by the
company; and
k. to consider other topics, as defined by the Board.
Reporting Procedures
10. The Secretary shall circulate the minutes of meetings of the
Committee to all members of the Board and the Chairman of the
Committee or, as a minimum, another member of the Committee
shall attend the Board meeting at which the accounts are approved.
11. The Committee members shall conduct an annual review of their
work and these terms of reference and make recommendations to
the Board.
12. The Committee’s duties and activities during the year shall be
disclosed in the annual financial statements.
13. The Chairman shall attend the AGM and shall answer questions,
through the Chairman of the Board, on the Audit Committee’s
activities and their responsibilities
Last Updated: 27th December 2007 12.00pm