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 | Benchmark Holdings plc |
|---|---|
| Balance Sheet Date | 30 September 2020 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Biological assets We questioned the basis for treating live artemia as inventory, rather than biological assets. We requested a reconciliation between movements disclosed in the ‘biological assets’ note and movements in biological assets evident elsewhere in the financial statements. In addition, we queried the basis for aggregating different types of movement in biological assets in the reconciliation of changes in biological assets. We also asked for an explanation of why biological assets that will produce saleable progeny within twelve months were classified as current assets. The company provided the explanations and reconciliations requested and agreed, where relevant, to enhance its disclosures in its future accounts. Receivables from the related parties We queried the nature of, and terms and conditions attaching to, substantial outstanding balances with related parties included in the company balance sheet. We also questioned the basis for classifying these balances as current. The company provided the information requested and agreed to clarify the nature of the related party relationships in its next annual report, along with more detail on terms and conditions. It also satisfactorily explained the reasons for the classification of the balances as current in its 2020 financial statements but indicated that circumstances had subsequently changed and that the balances would be classified as non-current in its next annual report. Cash flow statement We asked the company to explain apparent discrepancies between amounts included in the cash flow statement in relation to the disposal of trade and assets and property, plant and equipment and information in the notes to the financial statements. The company provided us with the relevant information and agreed to ensure better linkage between the disclosures in the future. Deferred tax assets The group had significant deferred tax liabilities in respect of accelerated capital allowances. However, there was no deferred tax asset recognised for unutilised tax losses to offset the liabilities. We requested further information in relation to the company’s assessment of the effects of the reversal of taxable temporary differences on the probability of utilisation of the remaining tax losses and temporary differences, which the company provided. Other receivables We asked for an analysis of the ‘other receivables’ balance. The company provided us with relevant detail and agreed to provide a greater disaggregation of items of dissimilar nature in the future. We questioned the basis for recognising a separate asset and liability for purchases that remained undelivered at the year-end. The company provided a satisfactory explanation and agreed to disclose information about the nature of the contractual rights in the future, along with the judgements made when recognising a liability and separate asset. Dissolution of the joint venture (JV) in Chile We asked how the assets transferred to the group upon the dissolution of the JV in Chile were measured at initial recognition and whether any gain or loss resulted from the transaction. The company provided us with a satisfactory response. |
| Entity | BMO Global Smaller Companies PLC |
| Balance Sheet Date | 30 April 2021 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Bodycote plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2020 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Limited |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | BT Group plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 March 2021 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 2 July 2021 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Creightons Plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 March 2021 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Derwent London plc (3) |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2020 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Cash flow statement We asked the company to explain its rationale for classifying the cash flows arising from the disposal of trading properties in investing activities in the cash flow statement. The company acknowledged that the cash flows did not arise from investing activities as defined in paragraph 6 of IAS 7, ‘Statement of Cash Flows’, and that they should be classified as operating cash flows. The company agreed to re-present the comparative amounts in its 2021 annual report and accounts. As the re-presentation affects a primary statement, the company also agreed to disclose in its 2021 report and accounts that the matter came to its attention as a result of the Financial Reporting Council’s enquiry. |
| Entity | Drax Group plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2020 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Deferred tax We asked the company for details of the evidence supporting the recognition of a deferred tax asset balance relating to start up losses. The company provided the information requested and undertook to include more specific disclosures to explain the evidence supporting such deferred tax assets in its 2021 annual accounts. Goodwill impairment The company provided us with information to support its use of business plan projections for periods longer than five years in its value in use calculations. IAS 36 ‘Impairment of Assets’ requires such projections to cover a maximum of five years unless a longer period is justified and the justification to be disclosed. The company undertook to include an explanation of why a longer period than five years is justified in its 2021 annual accounts. Derivatives We requested explanations and further information for certain aspects of the company’s disclosures about its derivatives including the cash and accounting impact of its rebasing transactions, the accounting judgements applied to its biomass purchase and sale contracts, the amount of its outstanding commitments for biomass purchase contracts and the extent of estimation uncertainty arising from its derivative valuations. The company provided the explanations and information we had requested and undertook to enhance its disclosure of these matters in future annual reports and accounts. Management of capital We asked for information about the key terms and conditions of the company’s loan covenants and the basis for the limited information it had disclosed about these arrangements in the annual report and accounts. The company provided the information requested, explained the rationale for its disclosure and undertook to enhance its capital management disclosures in future. Alternative performance measures The company clarified what its KPI for system support represented, how it had been measured and how it aligned with the company’s disclosure of revenue. The company also explained how the amount disclosed for total cash and committed facilities reconciled to information elsewhere in the annual report and accounts. The company undertook to enhance its disclosures in future to explain more clearly what these amounts represent and how they align to other disclosures. |
| Entity | Elementis plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2020 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Limited |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
We sought further information about the company’s self-insurance provision. The company provided satisfactory explanations and agreed to ensure it is clear to a reader that the liability recognised is the gross liability, and any insurance recoveries would be recognised as a separate reimbursement asset. We also observed that we expect a clear description of the underlying claims to help users understand the nature of the company’s exposure.
|
| Entity | Entain plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2020 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Disclosure of critical accounting estimates and judgements We found the company’s disclosures about critical accounting estimates and judgements did not clearly distinguish between judgements and estimates. Furthermore, we considered there was scope to improve the clarity of disclosures about (i) the specific material judgements made by management and (ii) the specific assets and liabilities subject to estimation uncertainty at risk of material adjustment in the next year. The company agreed to improve its disclosures in these areas in its next accounts. Provisions We requested further information about the litigation and regulation provision, specifically the nature of the provision relating to Greek tax, and the nature and relevant uncertainties of other provisions included in the total for this balance. The company provided this information and, in its next accounts, agreed to enhance its disclosures over the nature of these provisions, the extent of estimation uncertainty and the likely timing of settlement. Taxation We asked the company for a breakdown of the tax on separately disclosed items to help explain the reason for the low effective tax rate on the total of these items, which the company provided. Other receivables We asked the company to clarify the composition of the ‘other receivables’ balance. The company provided the information requested. Deposits We queried the nature of deposits disclosed in the net debt note and where these were presented in the consolidated balance sheet as this was not clear from the accounts. The company clarified that the deposits predominantly related to the company’s spread-betting business, which was disclosed as a discontinued operation in the year. |
| Entity | Flutter Entertainment plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2020 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Alternative performance measures (APMs) We noted that the commentary in the management report predominantly focused on metrics presented on a pro forma basis following a significant acquisition made part way through the year. We questioned whether the limited discussion of the IFRS measures in the management report was sufficiently balanced and comprehensive to meet the requirements of The Financial Conduct Authority’s Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules. The company undertook to expand the commentary on the statutory performance of the business in its 2021 annual report. We sought an explanation as to how the company had addressed the requirements of the ESMA Guidelines on APMs to give sufficient prominence to measures directly stemming from the financial statements when compared to the equivalent APMs. The company acknowledged that, in certain areas of the annual report, equal prominence may not have been given to IFRS-based measures. The company undertook to include in its future reporting references to IFRS-based measures in the Highlights and the Key Performance Indicators sections, as well as in the Chair’s Statement and the Chief Executive Officer’s Review. |
| Entity | Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. |
| Balance Sheet Date | 27 March 2021 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | No |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice | N/A |
| Entity | Grafton Group plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 30 June 2021 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Alternative performance measures (‘APMs’) The company presented APMs that included balances from a business that had been disposed of but had not yet completed. We asked that they clarify the rationale for including these items within their APMs. The company explained that the adjustments were made to give investors and stakeholders a better understanding of the financial position of the group at the interim reporting date. We also asked the company to explain whether a further balance, a right of use asset, was considered to be an APM. The company confirmed that it was, and that it had been disclosed in order to be consistent with the alternative presentation of net cash and net debt, which included amounts relating to the deemed disposed business. The company agreed to provide greater clarity and explanations of the measures in its 2022 interim report. The divestment of the business giving rise to the APM adjustments completed in December 2021 meaning that the metrics questioned will not feature in the company’s 2021 annual report and accounts. |
| Entity | Headlam Group plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 30 June 2021 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Interim cash flow statement We asked the company to clarify the operating cash flow adjustments arising from the sale of a subsidiary and, in particular, the treatment of the loss on disposal of the subsidiary. The company explained that the loss on disposal was added back to operating cash flows through its inclusion in the changes in trade and other payables line of the cash flow statement. The company agreed to present the loss on the sale of the subsidiary as a separate line item in the cash flow statement, along with improved accompanying disclosure, in its next annual report and accounts. |
| Entity | Helios Towers plc |
| Balance Sheet Date | 31 December 2020 |
| Exchange of Substantive Letters (1) | Yes |
| Scope of Review (2) | Full |
| Quarter Published | March 2022 |
| Auditor (5) | N/A |
| Case Summary / Press Notice |
Judgement that contracts with customers do not contain leases We questioned the conclusion that the contracts the company has with its customers to provide space on telecommunications towers do not contain leases, which it disclosed as a critical judgement. We enquired specifically about the terms of substitution rights in these contracts and the conclusion that these rights were substantive. The company provided satisfactory explanations and agreed to enhance the critical judgement disclosure and revise its reference to ‘lease’ agreements in its 2021 annual report and accounts. Revenue recognition We asked the company to clarify disclosures describing certain revenue as being recognised ahead of agreement with the customer. The company satisfactorily explained some of the key terms of its contracts with customers and how these have been considered in the recognition of revenue. It undertook to enhance its revenue disclosures to more clearly articulate the point at which revenue is recognised where additional space on towers is used. Working capital We asked the company to explain the difference in working capital movements between the consolidated statement of cash flows and the consolidated statement of financial position and how changes in working capital were explained within the strategic report. The company provided a satisfactory analysis and undertook to enhance the disclosures of balance sheet movements in its 2021 strategic report. |