18 Independent auditor's report to the members of C.H.A.R.T.E.R. FOR NORTHERN IRELAND Opinion I have audited the financial statements of Charter NI ('tthe charÈtable company") for the year end¢d 31 Mah 2023 which Comprise the Statement of financial activities (incorporating the income and expenditure account). Balance Sheet, Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financtat reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and the United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the Unit¢d Kingdom and Republic of Ireland" (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) In my opinion the financial ststements.. give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 March 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources. including its income and expenditure. for the year then ended. have been properly prepared in accordance wtth United Kingdom Generally Aecepted Accountin8 Practice. and have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of th¢ Companies Act 2006. Basis for opinion I conducted my audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAS (UK)) and applicable law. My responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of my report. l am independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirement8 that are relevant to rny audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC'S Ethical Standard, and the provisions available for small entities in the circumstances set out in note 20 to the Financial Slatements and I have fulfilled my other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. I believe that the audit evid¢nce I have obtsined is sufficient and approprtate to provide a basis for my opinion. Conclusions relating to going concern I have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in rel&tion to which the ISAS (UK) r4uire me to report to you where, the trustees, use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is not appropriate. or th¢ trnstees have not disclosed in the financial statement5 any identified material uncertainties that may cast significant doubt about the charitable charitable company's ability to continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting for a period of at least twelve months from the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue. Other information The other inforniation comprises the information included in the Trustees, Report and Financial Statement4 Other than the finan¢i81 statements and my auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other inforniation conlain¢d within the Tru5tees' Report and Financia] Statements. My opinion on the financial siatements does not cover the other infomiation and. except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in my ieporL I do not express any form of assurance conclusion ther¢on. My responsibility is to read the other infonnation and, in doing so. consider whether the other infomiation is materiaIly inconsistent with the financial staiements or my knowledge obtained in the audit 01 otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If I idents'fy such material inconsistencies or apparent matenal misstatements, l am required to detemiine whether this gives rise to a Materi misstatement in the financial statements thernselves. If. based on the work I have perfonned. I conclude that there i5 a material misstatement of this other inforniation, l am required to report that fact. I have nothing to report in this Tegard.
19 Independent auditor's report to the members of C.H.A.R.T.E.R. FOR NORTHERN IRELAND continued Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006 In my opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit.. the inforniation given in the tTUStees' repoo incorporating the directors, report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements. and the dir¢¢tors' report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Matters on which l am required to report by exception In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audiL I have not identified material misstatements in the directors. report. I have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Art 2006 requires me to report to you if. in my opinion.. adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for my audit have not been Teceived from branches not visited by me. or the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns. or certain disclosures of trustees, Temuneration specified by law are not rnade. or I have not received all the inforniation and explanations I require for my audit. or the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements tn accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small cornpanies, exemptions in preparing the directors. report and from the requirement to prepare a strate8ic report. Responsibilities of trustees As explained more fully in the Trustees, responsibilities statement set out on page17. the trustee5 (who are aIso the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation ot'the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees detennine is necessary to enable the preparation of financia5 statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the ¢haritable company's &bility to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concem and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the rharitsble company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. Auditor's responsibilitie8 for the audit of the financial statements My objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstat¢ment, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor'5 report that includes my opinion. Reasonable a$suran¢e Is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAS (UK) will always dete¢t a material misstatement when it exists. Missthtements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if. individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influen¢¢ the economic decislons of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
20 Independent auditor's report to the members of C.H.A.R.T.E.R. FOR NORTHERN IRELAND continued Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements continued Irregularities. including fraud, are instances of non-complianc¢ with laws and regulations. I design proG¢dures in lin¢ with my responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities. including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detectin8 irre8ularities, including fraud is detailed below.. obtaining an understanding of the significant legal and regulatory framework applicable to the charitable company and how the charttable company is complying with that framework. assessing th¢ suswtibilily of the charitable company's financial statements to material misstatemenL including how fraud might (Kcur. ensuring competence and capabilities to identify or recognise non-compliance with laws and regulations are maintained. Because of the inherent limitations of an audiL there is a risk that I will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or re8ulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial 5taternents, as I will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error. as fraud involv¢s intentional concealrnent, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation. A further description of my responsibilities for the audit of the financia] statements is located on the F7nancial Reportin8 Council's website at.. This description t'orn)s part of my Auditor's report. Use of my report This report is made solely to the charitable company'5 members, as a body, in aOrdanCe with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. My audit work has been undertaken so that I might stste to the charitable ¢ornpany'$ m¢mbers those matters I am required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent pemiitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company's members as a body. for my audil work, for this report. or for the opinions I have formed. Grace Taggart FCA (Senior Statutory Audttor) For and on behalf of CG Taggart Accountancy Servi¢¢s. Statutory Auditor. 17 Cypress Crescen( Donaghadee, Co Dow, BT21 OQG CG Taggart Accountancy Services is eligible to act as an auditor in tern]s of s1212 of the Companies Act 26. 28 November 2023