Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986

5 Accounts and audit

(1) The Board shall keep separate accounts with respect to—

(a) the Fund ; and

(b) the receipts and expenditure of the Board which do not relate to the Fund,

and shall prepare in respect of each financial year a statement of accounts.

(2) The accounts shall be kept and the statement of accounts shall be prepared in such form as the Secretary of State may, with the approval of the Treasury, direct.

(3) The accounts shall be audited by persons to be appointed in respect of each financial year by the Secretary of State in accordance with a scheme of audit approved by him, and the auditors shall be furnished by the Board with copies of the statement and shall prepare a report to the Secretary of State on the accounts and the statement.

(4) No person shall be qualified to be appointed auditor under subsection (3) above unless he is a member of one of the following bodies;—

(a) the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland ;

(b) the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales;

(c) the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants;

(d) the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.

(5) Upon completion of the audit of the accounts, the auditors shall send to the Secretary of State a copy of the statement of accounts and of their report, and the Secretary of State shall send a copy of the statement and of the report to the Comptroller and Auditor General.

(6) The Secretary of State and the Comptroller and Auditor General may inspect the accounts and any records relating thereto.

(7) The Secretary of State shall lay before each House of Parliament a copy of every—

(a) annual report of the Board under section 3(3) of this Act;

(b) statement of accounts under subsection (1) above; and

(c) report of the auditors under subsection (3) above.

(8) In this section " financial year " means the period beginning with the commencement of this section and ending with 31st March next following and each subsequent period of 12 months ending with 31st March in each year.