Barclays 2009 Annual Report Download - page 190

188 Barclays PLC Annual Report 2009 www.barclays.com/annualreport09
Corporate governance
Accountability and audit
continued
Statement of Directors’ responsibilities for accounts
The following statement, which should be read in conjunction with the
Auditors’ report set out on page 191, is made with a view to distinguishing
for shareholders the respective responsibilities of the Directors and of the
auditors in relation to the accounts.
The Directors are required by the Companies Act 2006 to prepare
accounts for each financial year and, with regards to Group accounts, in
accordance with Article 4 of the IAS Regulation. The Directors have prepared
individual accounts in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European
Union. The accounts are required by law and IFRS to present fairly the
financial position of the Company and the Group and the performance for
that period. The Companies Act 2006 provides, in relation to such accounts,
that references to accounts giving a true and fair view are references to fair
presentation.
The Directors consider that, in preparing the accounts on pages 193 to
308, and the additional information contained on pages 327 to 335, the
Group has used appropriate accounting policies, supported by reasonable
judgements and estimates, and that all accounting standards which they
consider to be applicable have been followed.
The Directors have responsibility for ensuring that the Company
and the Group keep accounting records which disclose with reasonable
accuracy the financial position of the Company and the Group and which
enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Companies
Act 2006.
The Directors have general responsibility for taking such steps as
are reasonably open to them to safeguard the assets of the Group and
to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.
Disclosure controls and procedures
The Group Chief Executive, John Varley, and the Group Finance Director,
Chris Lucas, conducted with Group Management an evaluation of the
effectiveness of the design and operation of the Group’s disclosure controls
and procedures as at 31st December 2009, which are defined as those
controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be
disclosed in reports filed or submitted under the US Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarised and reported within the time
periods specified in the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and
forms. As of the date of the evaluation, the Group Chief Executive and Group
Finance Director concluded that the design and operation of these
disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
The Directors confirm to the best of their knowledge that:
(a) The financial statements, prepared in accordance with the applicable set
of accounting standards, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities,
financial position and profit or loss of Barclays PLC and the undertakings
included in the consolidation taken as a whole; and
(b) The management report, which is incorporated into the Directors’ Report
on pages 147 to 150, includes a fair review of the development and
performance of the business and the position of Barclays PLC and the
undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole, together
with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that they face.
Signed on behalf of the Board
Marcus Agius
Group Chairman
9th March 2010