The Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001

Accounts of the Council

52.—(1) The Council shall—

(a) keep accounts in such form as the Privy Council may determine;

(b) prepare annual accounts in respect of each financial year, in such form as the Privy Council may determine.

(2) The annual accounts shall be audited by persons the Council appoints.

(3) No person may be appointed as an auditor under paragraph (2) unless he is eligible for appointment as a company auditor under section 25 of the Companies Act 1989 or article 28 of the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1990.

(4) As soon as is reasonably practicable after the end of the financial year to which the annual accounts relate, the Council shall—

(a) cause them to be published together with any report on them made by the auditors; and

(b) send a copy of the annual accounts and of any such report to the Privy Council and to the Comptroller and Auditor General.

(5) The Comptroller and Auditor General shall examine, certify and report on the annual accounts.

(6) For the purposes of his examination, the Comptroller and Auditor General may inspect the accounts of the Council and any records relating to them.

(7) The Privy Council shall lay before each House of Parliament a copy of the annual accounts certified by the Comptroller and Auditor General, any report of the auditors and the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General prepared under paragraph (5).

(8) In this article, “financial year” means—

(a) the period beginning with the date on which the Council is established and ending with the next 31st March following that date, and

(b) each successive period of 12 months ending with 31st March.