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Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

Notes 31 -37

37. New accounting standards

The Group has not adopted and does not intend to early adopt the following pronouncements, which have been issued by the IASB or the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (“IFRIC”), but have not yet been endorsed for use in the EU.

An amendment to IFRS 2 “Share-based Payment: Vesting Conditions and Cancellations” was issued in January 2008 and will be effective retrospectively for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2009. This amendment clarifies that vesting conditions are service conditions and performance conditions only, and as such, any other features of a share-based payment are not vesting conditions. It also specifies that all cancellations, whether by the entity or by other parties, should receive the same accounting treatment. The Group is currently assessing the impact and expected timing of adoption of this amendment on the Group’s results and financial position.

IFRS 3 (Revised) “Business Combinations” was issued in January 2008 and will apply to business combinations occurring on or after 1 April 2010. The revised standard introduces a number of changes in the accounting for business combinations that will impact the amount of goodwill recognised, the reported results in the period that a business acquisition occurs and future reported results. Assets and liabilities arising from business combinations before 1 April 2010 will not be restated and thus there will be no effect on the Group’s results or financial position on adoption. However, this standard is likely to have a significant impact on the accounting for business acquisitions post adoption.

IAS 1 (Revised) “Presentation of Financial Statements” was issued in September 2007 and will be effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2009. The revised standard introduces the concept of a statement of comprehensive income, which enables users of the financial statements to analyse changes in a company’s equity resulting from transactions with owners separately from non-owner changes. The revised standard provides the option of presenting items of income and expense and components of other comprehensive income either as a single statement of comprehensive income or in two separate statements. The Group does not currently believe the adoption of this revised standard will have a material impact on the consolidated results or financial position of the Group.

IAS 23 (Revised) “Borrowing Costs” was issued in March 2007 and will be effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2009. It requires the capitalisation of borrowing costs, to the extent they are directly attributable to the acquisition, production or construction of a qualifying asset. The existing option of immediate recognition of those borrowing costs as an expense has been removed. The Group is currently assessing the impact and expected timing of adoption of this standard on the Group’s results and financial position.

An amendment to IAS 27 “Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements” was issued in January 2008 and is effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 July 2009. The amendment requires that when a transaction occurs with non-controlling interests in Group entities that do not result in a change in control, the difference between the consideration paid or received and the recorded non-controlling interest should be recognised in equity. In cases where control is lost, any retained interest should be remeasured to fair value with the difference between fair value and the previous carrying value being recognised immediately in the income statement. Transactions occurring before 1 April 2010 will not be restated and thus there will be no effect on the Group’s results or financial position on adoption. However, the Group has historically entered into transactions that are within the scope of this standard and may do so in the future.

“Amendments to IAS 32 Financial Instruments: Presentation and IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements – Puttable Financial Instruments and Obligations Arising on Liquidation” was issued in February 2008 and is effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2009. The amendments require entities to classify certain financial instruments as equity if certain specific criteria are met. The Group is currently assessing the impact and expected timing of adoption of this amendment on the Group’s results and financial position.

IFRIC 12 “Service Concession Arrangements” was issued in November 2006 and is effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2008. The interpretation addresses how service concession operators should apply existing IFRSs to account for the obligations they undertake and rights they receive in service concession arrangements. The Group does not currently believe the adoption of these pronouncements will have a material impact on the consolidated results or financial position of the Group.

IFRIC 13 “Customer Loyalty Programmes” was issued in June 2007 and will be effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 July 2008. The interpretation addresses how companies that grant their customers loyalty award credits when buying goods or services should account for their obligation to provide free or discounted goods and services if and when the customers redeem the credits. It requires that consideration received be allocated between the award credits and the other components of the sale. The Group is currently assessing the impact and expected timing of adoption of this standard on the Group’s results and financial position.

IFRIC 14 “IAS 19 – The Limit on a Defined Benefit Asset, Minimum Funding Requirements and their Interaction” was issued in July 2007 and is effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2008. The interpretation provides guidance on determining the amount of any post employment benefit surplus that could be recognised as an asset on the balance sheet, how a minimum funding requirement affects that measurement, and when a minimum funding requirement can create an onerous obligation that should be recognised as a liability in addition to that otherwise recognised under IAS 19. The Group will adopt this interpretation with effect from 1 April 2008 and is currently assessing the impact of adoption of this interpretation on the consolidated results and financial position of the Group.

“Improvements to IFRSs” was issued in May 2008 and its requirements are effective over a range of dates, with the earliest effective date being for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2009. This comprises a number of amendments to IFRSs, which resulted from the IASB’s annual improvements project. The Group is currently assessing the impact and expected timing of adoption of these amendments on the Group’s results and financial position.