Seanad debates
Wednesday, 16 April 2003
Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Second Stage.
In terms of the audit committee, what is involved here is the question of independent directors. I recognise what people are saying about the constraints being imposed in terms of independent directors which are difficult to get. That is something the Bill will put up over the parapet. What we are requiring in the Bill is no different from what people in investment groups have been seeking for the past ten to 15 years, that there should be genuinely independent directors of companies. Senator Coghlan made a valid point that needs to be considered in terms of small companies. I am talking about large companies in this context. Directors must be independent. We are requiring in this legislation that they meet the external and internal auditor on their own without management, executive directors or others being involved. We are saying they also have to say that as far as they are concerned, the company auditor in question needs to be renewed. This is how we moved away from the demand that they hold their positions for a period no longer than five years. We considered there were problems in that regard, in that people could stop doing their job properly after four years if they knew their position was only for five years. There are swings and roundabouts. The independent audit committee will make a recommendation on who should be auditor, whether that person should continue or otherwise and whether the work has been done satisfactorily and in accordance with accounting standards.
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