Commentary Part 16: Audit General provisions Section 494: Disclosure of services provided by auditor or associates and related remuneration
753.This section restates the existing power of the Secretary of State, in section 390B of the 1985 Act, to require disclosure of details of all the services supplied to a company by its auditor, and the remuneration involved. Subsections (2) to (4) give the detailed requirements that the Secretary of State can specify in regulations: subsection (2) relates to the level of disaggregation of different services and remunerations, and between the auditor and his associates; subsection (3) makes provision for some of the definitional issues that can be covered in regulations; and subsection (4) provides for where the information should be disclosed.
754.Under subsection (4), the regulations might require disclosure in a document compiled by the company rather than the auditor. Subsection (5) provides that, if so, the regulations can require the auditor to supply the directors with the information to be disclosed e.g. about the auditor’s associates. Subsection (6) specifies that the regulations are to be made by negative resolution procedure.