Companies Act 2014 section 1614

Assurance of consolidated sustainability reporting

Section 1614 sets out the responsibilities and obligations of the group auditor when providing assurance on the consolidated sustainability reporting of a group, including documentation requirements, coordination with other auditors, and cooperation with regulatory oversight.

• The group auditor bears full responsibility for the assurance report on consolidated sustainability reporting and must evaluate and document the work of all other auditors involved.
• A wide range of auditors may contribute assurance work, including statutory auditors, EU Member State auditors, third-country auditors, and independent assurance services providers.
• The group auditor must secure agreement from contributing auditors to transfer relevant documentation; if this cannot be obtained, additional assurance work must be carried out and the Supervisory Authority or recognised accountancy body must be informed.
• All documentation retained must be sufficient to support quality assurance inspections or investigations, and must be made available to the Supervisory Authority or recognised accountancy body on request.