CRR Case Summaries and Entity-specific Press Notices
The FRC publishes, on a quarterly basis, summaries of its findings from recently closed reviews that resulted in a substantive question to a company (‘Case Summaries’). In addition, it publishes the names of companies whose reviews were closed in the previous quarter without the need for a substantive question. No Case Summary is prepared for such reviews.
Case Summaries, which are available for cases closed in the quarter ending March 2021 onwards, are included in the table below. As, currently, the FRC is subject to existing legal restrictions on disclosing confidential information received from a company, the Case Summaries can only be disclosed with the company's consent. Where consent has been withheld by the company, that fact is disclosed in the table.
From March 2018 until March 2021, the FRC published the names of companies whose reviews were closed in the previous quarter but did not prepare Case Summaries. However, on an exceptional basis, specific cases may be publicised through entity-specific Press Notices, which can also be found in the table below.
The FRC’s reviews are based solely on the company’s annual report and accounts (or interim reports) and do not benefit from detailed knowledge of the company’s business or an understanding of the underlying transactions entered into. They are, however, conducted by staff of the FRC who have an understanding of the relevant legal and accounting framework. The FRC’s correspondence with the company provides no assurance that the annual report and accounts (or interim reports) are correct in all material respects; the FRC’s role is not to verify the information provided but to consider compliance with reporting requirements. The FRC’s correspondence is written on the basis that the FRC (which includes the FRC’s officers, employees and agents) accepts no liability for reliance on its letters or Case Summaries by the company or any third party, including but not limited to investors and shareholders.
Key
- Only a certain number of CRR’s reviews result in substantive questioning of the Board. Matters raised may cover questions of recognition, measurement and/or disclosure.
- CRR’s routine reviews of companies’ annual reports and accounts generally cover all parts over which the FRC has statutory powers (that is, strategic reports, directors’ reports and financial statements). Similarly, CRR’s routine reviews of companies’ interim reports will generally cover all information in that document. Limited scope reviews arise for a number of reasons, including those conducted when a company’s annual report and accounts or interim report are selected for thematic review or reviews that have been prompted by a complaint. In accordance with the FRC's Operating Procedures, for Corporate Reporting Review, CRR does not identify those companies whose reviews were prompted by a complaint.
- The FRC may ask a company to refer to its exchanges with CRR when the company makes a change to a significant aspect of its annual report and accounts or interim report in response to a review.
- Case closed after 1 January 2021 but performed under operating procedures that did not allow for the publication of Case Summaries.
- From the quarter ended June 2023, the FRC started identifying the auditor of the annual report and accounts, or the audit firm that issued a review report on the interim report, that was the subject of the CRR review. This information was also back-dated for closed cases publicised from the quarter ended September 2022. Cases marked N/A relate to those published prior to September 2022 or interim reviews that did not have a review opinion.’
Case Summaries
CRR Case Summaries and Entity-specific Press Notices (Excel version)
| Entity | abrdn New India Investment Trust plc |
|---|---|
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 March 2024 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | KPMG LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Adriatic Metals PLC |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2023 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | BDO LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2023 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | Deloitte LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Contingent consideration in business acquisitions We asked the company for further details of the methods and assumptions used in valuing the liabilities arising on contingent consideration in business acquisitions, and the sensitivity of the liabilities to changes in those assumptions. The company provided the relevant information and agreed to enhance the disclosure of contingent consideration liabilities in future annual reports and accounts. |
| Entity | AJ Bell plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 30 September 2024 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | BDO LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP |
| Balance Sheet Date | 30 April 2024 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Anglo Asian Mining PLC |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2023 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | Ernst & Young LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Distributable profits and distributions We observed that the company had paid interim and final dividends for the 2022 financial year in the years ended 31 December 2022 and 31 December 2023. However, the parent company’s 2021 and 2022 accounts showed insufficient retained profits to justify the dividends paid, and no interim accounts had been filed at Companies House to support the distributions, as required by section 836(2)(a) of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the Act’). The company confirmed that the directors were satisfied that there were sufficient distributable reserves prior to payment of the 2022 interim dividend but had not filed the relevant accounts at the required time. The company also explained that there were insufficient reserves in the parent company to pay the final dividend for 2022, but that sufficient profits existed in subsidiaries that were available for distribution to the parent. The company explained the steps that it intends to take to rectify its non-compliance with the requirements of the Act. Production sharing agreement The annual report referred to a production sharing agreement between the company and the Government of Azerbaijan. We asked the company to clarify various aspects of the agreement, and the associated accounting policies. The company provided a satisfactory response to our questions and agreed to expand its accounting policy disclosures in future sets of accounts. |
| Entity | Anglo-Eastern Plantations Plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2023 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | BDO LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Accounting for receivables from plasma cooperatives We sought an explanation of the accounting treatment applied by the company to advances it had made to plasma cooperatives, and how that accounting treatment complied with the requirements of IFRS, as it was unclear why these amounts had not been discounted on initial recognition. The company explained that the Board had concluded that these advances are repayable on demand, and accordingly the receivables are not discounted. The company agreed to disclose this conclusion in future annual reports and accounts. Share buyback programme We asked the company to clarify the terms of its share repurchase arrangements in order to understand why no liability had been recognised at the period end. The company explained that it had a contractual right to terminate the arrangements in certain circumstances and that the obligation at 31 December 2023 was immaterial. We closed our enquiries on this basis. |
| Entity | Arla Foods Limited |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2023 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | Ernst & Young LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | AVI Global Trust plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 30 September 2024 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | BDO LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Beazley plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2023 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | Ernst & Young LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Birds Eye Limited |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2023 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 August 2024 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 29 February 2024 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Bowmer and Kirkland Limited |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 August 2023 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Limited |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | RSM UK Audit LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Climate-related Financial Disclosures We asked the company to include, in its future annual reports and accounts, a qualitative analysis of the resilience of the company’s business model and strategy considering different climate-related scenarios as required by s. 414CB, of the Companies Act 2006. The company undertook to provide this information. |
| Entity | Burberry Group plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 30 March 2024 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2025 |
| Auditor (5) | Ernst & Young LLP |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |