Unilever 2009 Annual Report Download - page 141

138 Unilever Annual Report and Accounts 2009
Financial statements
Company accounts Auditors’ report – Unilever PLC
Independent auditors’ report to the members of Unilever
PLC on the parent company accounts
We have audited the parent company accounts of Unilever PLC for
the year ended 31 December 2009 which comprise the balance
sheet and the related notes. The financial reporting framework
that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and
United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally
Accepted Accounting Practice).
Respective responsibilities of Directors and auditors
As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’
Responsibilities on page 76, the Directors are responsible for the
preparation of the parent company accounts and for being
satisfied that they give a true and fair view. Our responsibility is to
audit the parent company accounts in accordance with applicable
law and International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland).
Those standards require us to comply with the Auditing Practices
Board’s Ethical Standards for Auditors.
This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only
for the shareholders of Unilever PLC as a body in accordance with
Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and for no other
purpose. We do not, in giving these opinions, 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.
Scope of the audit of the accounts
An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and
disclosures in the accounts sufficient to give reasonable assurance
that the accounts are free from material misstatement, whether
caused by fraud or error. This includes an assessment of: whether
the accounting policies are appropriate to the parent company’s
circumstances and have been consistently applied and adequately
disclosed; the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates
made by the directors; and the overall presentation of the
accounts.
Opinion on accounts
In our opinion the parent company accounts:
• give a true and fair view of the state of the company’s affairs as
at 31 December 2009;
• have been properly prepared in accordance with United
Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
• have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act
2006.
Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act
2006
In our opinion:
• the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited
has been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies
Act 2006; and
• the information given in the Report of the Directors for the
financial year for which the parent company accounts are
prepared is consistent with the parent company accounts.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters
where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in
our opinion:
• adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent
company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been
received from branches not visited by us; or
• the parent company accounts and the part of the Directors’
Remuneration Report to be audited are not in agreement with
the accounting records and returns; or
• certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law
are not made; or
• we have not received all the information and explanations we
require for our audit.
Other matter
We have reported separately on the consolidated financial
statements of Unilever Group for the year ended 31 December
2009.
Richard Sexton
(Senior Statutory Auditor)
For and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors
London, United Kingdom
2 March 2010