Independent auditors' report
Independent auditors’ report to the members of United Utilities Group PLC
We have audited the financial statements of United Utilities Group PLC for the year ended 31 March 2010 which comprise the consolidated income statement, the consolidated statement of comprehensive income, the consolidated and company statements of financial position, the consolidated and company statements of changes in equity, the consolidated and company statements of cashflows, the accounting policies and the related notes 1 to 32. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European Union and as regards the parent company financial statements, as applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006.
This report is made solely to the company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors’ report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company’s members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Respective responsibilities of directors and auditors
As explained more fully in the directors’ responsibilities statement, the directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. Our responsibility is to audit the financial statements 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 (APB’s) Ethical Standards for Auditors.
Scope of the audit of the financial statements
An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements sufficient to give reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. This includes an assessment of: whether the accounting policies are appropriate to the group’s and 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 financial statements.
Opinion on financial statements
In our opinion:
- the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the parent company’s affairs as at 31 March 2010 and of the group’s profit for the year then ended;
- the group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union;
- the parent company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union and as applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006; and
- the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the group financial statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation.
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 directors’ report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
We have nothing to report in respect of the following:
- Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required 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 financial statements 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.
Under the Listing Rules we are required to review:
- the directors’ statement contained within the corporate governance report in relation to going concern; and
- the part of the corporate governance statement relating to the company’s compliance with the nine provisions of the June 2008 Combined Code specified for our review.
Richard Norton (Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of Deloitte LLP
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors
Manchester, United Kingdom
20 May 2010