Audit and Risk committee

The key responsibilities of the Committee are to:

• Review the Annual Report, Half-Year Report and any other formal announcements relating to the Group’s financial performance, giving due consideration to significant accounting issues and judgements contained therein, as well as compliance with accounting standards and other legal and regulatory requirements
• Review the Annual Report and Financial Statements to advise the Board on whether they give a fair, balanced and understandable explanation of the Group’s business and performance over the relevant period
• Review the effectiveness of the Group’s financial reporting systems and procedures
• Consider the Group’s internal controls and risk management systems and advise the Board whether they are adequate, by receiving reports on their effectiveness from the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive, together with reports from the Group’s outsourced internal auditors and from the external auditor
• Review updates to the Group’s risk register presented by management
• Oversee the Group’s procedures to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Bribery Act 2010 and the Group’s Whistleblowing Policy
• Consider the external auditors’ independence and objectivity, audit and non-audit fees and make recommendations regarding audit tender and the appointment and remuneration of the auditors, together with the terms of their engagement
• Review the annual audit plan and monitor the effectiveness of the external audit process
• Monitor and review the effectiveness of the outsourced internal audit function, including a review of the internal audit plan, all internal audit reports, and management’s responses to the findings and recommendations of the internal audit function
• Consider the adequacy of the Group’s finance function
• Review the Group’s Tax Strategy
• Review the Committee terms of reference.