APB issue Bulletin 2008/9

The Auditing Practices Board (APB) has issued Bulletin 2008/9 'Miscellaneous reports by auditors required by the United Kingdom Companies Act 2006'.

The Bulletin provides guidance in respect of those reports and statements required to be made by a statutory auditor (or a person who is eligible to be appointed as statutory auditor) under the Companies Act 2006 that are not dealt with in other Bulletins published by the APB.

The Bulletin addresses the following reports:

  • statement by an auditor on ceasing to hold office;
  • statement on a company’s ability to make a distribution where the auditor’s report was qualified;
  • auditor’s statement with respect to net assets when a private company re-registers as a public company;
  • report when a private company redeems or purchases its own shares out of capital;
  • report when a public company allots shares otherwise than for cash;
  • report when non-cash assets transferred to a public company by certain of its members.

The table below is reproduced from the Appendix to the Bulletin and provides a list of example reports included in Bulletin 2007/1, ‘Example reports by auditors under company legislation in Great Britain’, and where their relevant equivalent can be located in the recent APB’s bulletins that reflect the requirements of Companies Act 2006.   

The full bulletin can be downloaded from the Bulletins section of the APB’s website

Example Report in Bulletin 2007/1 (reflecting the requirements of CA 1985)Location of equivalent example report reflecting the requirements of CA 2006Commencement date of report under CA 2006
1 Auditor's report on revised financial statements: revision by replacement.Bulletin 2008/5 (Appendix 2)Periods beginning on or after 6 April 2008
2 Auditor's report on revised financial statements: revision by supplementary note.Bulletin 2008/5 (Appendix 3)Periods beginning on or after 6 April 2008
3 Auditor's report on revised directors' report.Bulletin 2008/5 (Appendix 4)Periods beginning on or after 6 April 2008
4 Report on abbreviated accounts.Bulletin 2008/4Periods beginning on or after 6 April 2008
5 Auditor's statement on a summary financial statement.Bulletin 2008/3Periods beginning on or after 6 April 2008
6 Report on entitlement to exemption from preparing group financial statements.Requirement withdrawn in 1996n/a
7 Statement on a company's ability to make a distribution.Examples 1 and 2 of this Bulletin6 April 2008
8 Statement when a private company wishes to re-register as a public company.Examples 6, 7, 8 and 9 of this Bulletin1 October 2009
9 Report on balance sheet prepared other than in respect of an accounting reference period for the purpose of a private company re-registering as a public company.Now combined with the statement when a private company wishes to reregister as a private company (see Examples 8 and 9)1 October 2009
10 Report when a private company wishes to redeem or purchase its own shares out of capitalExample 10 of this Bulletin1 October 2009
11 Report when a private company wishes to provide financial assistance for the purchase of its own shares or those of its holding company.Report no longer required under CA 2006. (Provisions under CA 1985 repealed as from 1 October 2008 in relation to financial assistance given on or after that date)n/a
12 Report when a public company wishes to allot shares otherwise than for cash.Example 11 of this Bulletin1 October 2009
13 Report when non-cash assets are transferred to a public company by certain of its members.Example 12 of this Bulletin1 October 2009
14 Report on initial accounts when a public company wishes to make a distributionExample 3 of this Bulletin6 April 2008
15 Report on ceasing to hold office.Examples 4 and 5 of this Bulletin6 April 2008