HC Deb 13 April 1994 vol 241 c227W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information plc auditors are required to file with the recognised supervisory bodies in relation to their own affairs.

Mr. Neil Hamilton

All registered auditors must provide their supervisory body each year with information relating to the following matters so that the bodies may discharge their statutory duties as set out in part II of schedule 11 to the Companies Act 1989:

  • —the holding of an appropriate qualification;
  • —being a fit and proper person(s);
  • —professional integrity and independence;
  • —the technical standards applied to company audit work;
  • —the maintenance of competence;
  • —the monitoring and enforcement of compliance with the supervisory body's rules;
  • —eligibility for membership of the supervisory body;
  • —the ability to meet claims arising out of company audit work;
  • —the maintenance of the public register for company auditors by the supervisory body.

Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many(a) individual auditors and (b) auditing firms are registered with each of the authorised bodies under the provisions of the Companies Act 1989.

Mr. Neil Hamilton

The latest available figures for those registered with the recognised supervisory bodies under the Companies Act 1989 are as follows:

Supervisory body Individuals Firms
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales 19,473 9,218
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland 1,273 742
Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland 829 463
Chartered Association of Certified Accountants 3,959 507
Association of Authorised Public Accountants 460 425