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(1)Statements of account giving the prescribed information about the affairs of a charity shall be transmitted to the Commissioners by the charity trustees on request; and, in the case of a charity having a permanent endowment, such a statement relating to the permanent endowment shall be transmitted yearly without any request, unless the charity is excepted by order or regulations.
(2)Any statement of account transmitted to the Commissioners in pursuance of subsection (1) above shall be kept by them for such period as they think fit; and during that period it shall be open to public inspection at all reasonable times.
(3)The Commissioners may by order require that the condition and accounts of a charity for such period as they think fit shall be investigated and audited by an auditor appointed by them, being a member of one of the following bodies:—
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales;
The Society of Incorporated Accountants ;
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland;
The Association of Certified and Corporate Accountants;
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland;
Any other body of accountants established in the United Kingdom and for the time being recognised for the purposes of paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section one hundred and sixty-one of the Companies Act, 1948, by the Board of Trade.
(4)An auditor acting under subsection (3) above—
(a)shall have a right of access to all books, accounts and documents relating to the charity which are in the possession or control of the charity trustees or to which the charity trustees have access;
(b)shall be entitled to require from any charity trustee, past or present, and from any past or present officer or servant of the charity such information and explanation as he thinks necessary for the performance of his duties;
(c)shall at the conclusion or during the progress of the audit make such reports to the Commissioners about the audit or about the accounts or affairs of the charity as he thinks the case requires, and shall send a copy of any such report to the charity trustees.
(5)The expenses of any audit under subsection (3) above, including the remuneration of the auditor, shall be paid by the Commissioners.
(6)If any person—
(a)fails to transmit to the Commissioners any statement of account required by subsection (1) above; or
(b)fails to afford an auditor any facility to which he is entitled under subsection (4) above ;
the Commissioners may by order give to that person or to the charity trustees for the time being such directions as the Commissioners think appropriate for securing that the default is made good.
(7)This section shall not apply to an exempt charity.