Auditors
Following a recommendation by the Audit Committee and, in accordance with Section 384 of the Companies Act 1985, a resolution proposing the reappointment of Deloitte LLP as auditors to the Company will be put to the shareholders at the 2009 AGM.
In its assessment of the independence of the auditors and in accordance with the US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s standard on independence, the Audit Committee receives in writing details of relationships between Deloitte LLP and the Company that may have a bearing on their independence and receives confirmation that they are independent of the Company within the meaning of the securities laws administered by the SEC.
In addition, the Audit Committee pre-approves the audit fee after a review of both the level of the audit fee against other comparable companies, including those in the telecommunications industry, and the level and nature of non-audit fees, as part of its review of the adequacy and objectivity of the audit process.
In a further measure to ensure auditor independence is not compromised, policies provide for the pre-approval by the Audit Committee of permitted non-audit services by Deloitte LLP. For certain specific permitted services, the Audit Committee has pre-approved that Deloitte LLP can be engaged by Group management subject to specified fee limits for individual engagements and fee limits for each type of specific service permitted. For all other services, or those permitted services that exceed the specified fee limits, the Chairman of the Audit Committee, or in his absence another member, can pre-approve services which have not been pre-approved by the Audit Committee.
In addition to their statutory duties, Deloitte LLP are also employed where, as a result of their position as auditors, they either must, or are best placed to, perform the work in question. This is primarily work in relation to matters such as shareholder circulars, Group borrowings, regulatory filings and certain business acquisitions and disposals. Other work is awarded on the basis of competitive tender.
During the year, Deloitte LLP and its affiliates charged the Group £8 million (2008: £7 million, 2007: £7 million) for audit and audit-related services and a further £1 million (2008: £2 million, 2007: £3 million) for non-audit assignments. An analysis of these fees can be found in note 4 to the consolidated financial statements.