英FRC、大手・準大手監査事務所の検査結果を公表（economiaより）

Audit work at big firms “not acceptable”, says FRC

英財務報告評議会（FRC）が、英国の大手・準大手、７監査事務所を検査した結果を公表したという記事。前年と比べてほとんど改善が見られず、目標が達成されていないそうです。

The latest annual inspections of the UK’s largest seven audit firms reveal little improvement and quality targets missed, says regulator

カリリオン社の破綻をめぐるスキャンダルで、英国監査業界は揺れ動いていますが、FRCの年次レビューによれば、大手・準大手監査事務所の低監査品質の例は、依然として、許容できないくらい多いとのことです。

It has been a tumultuous 18 months for the UK audit market with the scandal surrounding Carillion’s collapse, which sparked a wave of government and public scrutiny of the profession, resulting in a raft of reviews and investigations.

However, in the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC’s) annual review of audits performed by the biggest firms this year, it found that “poor quality audit work remains unacceptably common”.

FTSE350社の監査の７５％が良好または限定的な指摘事項のみであり、前年（2017／18年度）の７３％より若干改善されています。しかし、FRCが目標としている９０％を達成している事務所はありませんでした。

There was a slight improvement on the previous year: 75% of FTSE 350 audits reviewed were good or required no more than limited improvements, compared to 73% in 2017/18, but no firm achieved the FRC’s audit quality target of 90% for the FTSE 350.

グラント・ソントンとPwCが特に批判されています。

Grant Thornton and PwC were singled out for criticism by the regulator. PwC was flagged for an “unsatisfactory” deterioration in inspection results for its audits of FTSE 350 clients, while Grant Thornton was put under “increased scrutiny” after a fall in standards.

FRCのCEOのコメント。最新の検査結果は許容できないものだ、監査事務所は不備の原因を識別し、品質向上のための速やかで適切なアクションをとるべきと述べています。

Stephen Haddrill, the FRC’s outgoing CEO, said, “At a time when the future of the audit sector is under the microscope, the latest audit quality results are not acceptable. Audit firms must identify the causes of their audit shortcomings and take rapid and appropriate action to improve quality. Our latest results suggest that they have failed to achieve this in recent years.

“The latest review also reinforces the importance of work being undertaken by the FRC and others to bring about quality improvements across the sector.”

新しい年度は、９０％という目標の適用範囲を、すべての監査に拡大するとのことです。さらに、2020／21年度は、限定的な指摘事項のみを100％にするという新目標を設定するそうです。

“For 2019/20, we are extending our 90% quality target for FTSE 350 audits to all audits inspected. We will set a new target for audit firms, for 2020/21 onwards, that 100% of audits inspected should require no more than limited improvement. In other words, starting from June 2019 financial statement year ends, we expect no audit to be assessed as either a 2B or a 3.”

また、過去2年間の検査において、6件について処分を行うかどうかの検討対象としており、8件について調査継続中とのことです。

The FRC added that over the two past years of inspections, six audits have been referred for possible enforcement action, with investigations opened in eight cases so far.

会計士団体ICAEWのコメントなども載っています。

事務所ごとの結果は．．．

PwC

The FRC said that deterioration from 84% to 65% in the results for PwC’s FTSE 350 audits inspected is “unsatisfactory and the FRC has required the firm to take prompt and targeted action to address this decline”.

Of PwC’s audits reviewed, 77% required no more than limited improvements, compared with 82% in 2017/18.

KPMG

More than three quarters (76%) of KPMG’s audits required no more than limited improvements, compared with 61% in 2017/18. Of the FTSE 350 audits, 80% achieved this standard compared with 50% in 2017/18.

グラントソントン

The watchdog revealed that, of the Grant Thornton audits the FRC assessed this year, just 50% were good or required limited improvements, down from 75% last year. Over the past five years, 26% of Grant Thornton’s inspected audits have required significant improvement.

デロイト

Deloitte performed relatively well this year, with 84% of audits reviewed requiring no more than limited improvements, compared with 76% in 2017/18. There was slight drop in the quality of FTSE 350 audits - 75% compared with 79% in 2017/18. The FRC noted only “modest improvements in audit quality”.

EY

EY improved its top line figures, with 78% of the firm’s audits requiring no more than limited improvements, compared with 67% in 2017/18. It almost made the FRC’s target in the FTSE 350, with 89% reaching this standard compared with 82% in 2017/18.

BDO

Seven out of eight audits reviewed were assessed as requiring no more than limited improvements – the same as in 2017/18.

日本の会計士協会のレビューや金融庁の検査も、事務所ごとの結果を公表すると、品質向上のインセンティブになるのでは。

もっとも、大手事務所でも数十件程度しか検査しないでしょうし、評価の厳しさにもばらつきがあるでしょうから、数％の変動であれば、誤差の範囲でしょう。