Unilever 2007 Annual Report Download - page 70

68 Unilever Annual Report and Accounts 2007
Financial statements continued
Auditors’ report United Kingdom
Independent auditors’ report to the shareholders of
Unilever PLC on the consolidated accounts
We have audited the consolidated accounts of the Unilever
Group for the year ended 31 December 2007 which comprise
the consolidated income statement, consolidated balance sheet,
consolidated cash flow statement, consolidated statement of
recognised income and expense and the related notes on pages
69 to 121 and 125 to 126. These consolidated accounts have
been prepared under the accounting policies set out in note 1 on
pages 72 to 76.
We have reported separately on the parent company accounts of
Unilever PLC for the year ended 31 December 2007 and on the
information in the Report of the Remuneration Committee that
is described as having been audited.
Respective responsibilities of Directors and auditors
The Directors’ responsibilities for preparing the consolidated
accounts in accordance with applicable law and International
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the European
Union and as issued by the International Accounting Standards
Board are set out in the Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities on
page 66, and on page 136. The Directors are also responsible for
preparing the Annual Report.
Our responsibility is to audit the consolidated accounts in
accordance with relevant legal and regulatory requirements and
International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland). This report,
including the opinion, has been prepared for and only for the
shareholders of Unilever PLC as a body in accordance with
Section 235 of the Companies Act 1985 and for no other
purpose. We do not, in giving this opinion, accept or assume
responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to
whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come
save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.
We report to you our opinion as to whether the consolidated
accounts give a true and fair view and whether the consolidated
accounts have been properly prepared in accordance with the
Companies Act 1985 and Article 4 of the IAS Regulation. We also
report to you whether in our opinion the information given in the
Directors’ Report is consistent with the consolidated accounts.
In addition we report to you if, in our opinion, we have not
received all the information and explanations we require for
our audit, or if information specified by law regarding directors’
remuneration and other transactions is not disclosed.
We review whether the Corporate Governance Statement
reflects the company’s compliance with the nine provisions of the
Combined Code (2006) specified for our review by the Listing
Rules of the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority, and
we report if it does not. We are not required to consider whether
the Directors’ statements on internal control cover all risks and
controls, or form an opinion on the effectiveness of the Group’s
corporate governance procedures or its risk and control
procedures.
We read other information contained in the Annual Report and
consider whether it is consistent with the audited consolidated
accounts. The other information comprises only the Report of
the Directors and the Shareholder information. We consider the
implications for our report if we become aware of any apparent
misstatements or material inconsistencies with the consolidated
accounts. Our responsibilities do not extend to any other
information.
Basis of audit opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International
Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland) issued by the Auditing
Practices Board. An audit includes examination, on a test basis,
of evidence relevant to the amounts and disclosures in the
consolidated accounts. It also includes an assessment of the
significant estimates and judgements made by the Directors in
the preparation of the consolidated accounts, and of whether the
accounting policies are appropriate to the Group’s circumstances,
consistently applied and adequately disclosed.
We planned and performed our audit so as to obtain all the
information and explanations which we considered necessary in
order to provide us with sufficient evidence to give reasonable
assurance that the consolidated accounts are free from material
misstatement, whether caused by fraud or other irregularity or
error. In forming our opinion we also evaluated the overall
adequacy of the presentation of information in the consolidated
accounts.
Opinion
In our opinion:
• the consolidated accounts give a true and fair view, in
accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union,
of the state of the Group’s affairs as at 31 December 2007
and of its profit and cash flows for the year then ended;
• the consolidated accounts have been properly prepared in
accordance with the United Kingdom Companies Act 1985
and Article 4 of the IAS Regulation; and
• the information given in the Report of the Directors is
consistent with the consolidated accounts.
Separate opinion in relation to IFRS
As explained in note 1 to the consolidated accounts, the Group in
addition to complying with its legal obligation to comply with IFRS
as adopted by the European Union has also complied with IFRS as
issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
In our opinion the consolidated accounts give a true and fair
view, in accordance with IFRS as issued by the International
Accounting Standards Board, of the state of the Group’s affairs as
at 31 December 2007 and of its profit and cash flows for the year
then ended.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors
London, United Kingdom
10 March 2008