Unilever 2008 Annual Report Download - page 83

Auditors’ report United Kingdom
80 Unilever Annual Report and Accounts 2008
Financial statements
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 2008 which comprise
the consolidated income statement, consolidated balance sheet,
consolidated cash flow statement, consolidated statement of
recognised income and expense, the related notes on pages 81 to
136, and principal group companies and non-current investments
on pages 140 and 141. These consolidated accounts have been
prepared under the accounting policies set out in note 1 on pages
84 to 88.
We have reported separately on the parent company accounts of
Unilever PLC for the year ended 31 December 2008 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 Annual Report and
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 78, and on page 152.
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
Report of the Directors (excluding the audited part of the Report
of the Remuneration Committee) 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 (excluding the audited part of the Report of the
Remuneration Committee), the Shareholder information, the
Statement of Directors’ responsibilities and the Financial record.
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 2008
and of its profit and cash flows for the year then ended;
• the consolidated accounts have been properly prepared in
accordance with the 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 2008 and of its profit and cash flows for the year
then ended.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors
London, United Kingdom
3 March 2009