Company law requires the Directors to prepare Group and Company Financial Statements each year. Under that law, the Directors are required to prepare the Group Financial Statements in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union and Article 4 of the IAS regulation. The Directors have elected to prepare the Company Financial Statements in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union and as applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2014.
Under company law, the Directors must not approve the Group and Company Financial Statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities and financial position of the Group and Company as at the end of the financial year and of the profit or loss of the Group for the financial year and otherwise comply with the Companies Act 2014. In preparing each of the Group and Company Financial Statements, the Directors are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state that the Financial Statements comply with IFRS as adopted by the European Union as applied in accordance with the Companies Act 2014; and
- prepare the Financial Statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Group and the Company will continue in business.
The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company and the Group and to enable them to ensure that the Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union and comply with Irish statute comprising the Companies Act 2014 and in regard to the Group Financial Statements, Article 4 of IAS Regulation. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and the Group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included in the Group’s and Company’s website (www.icg.ie). Legislation in Ireland governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
The Directors of Irish Continental Group plc acknowledge these responsibilities and accordingly have prepared this Consolidated Annual Report for the financial year ended 31 December 2019 in compliance with the provisions of Regulation (EC) No. 1606/2002, regulations 4 and 5 of Statutory Instrument No. 277 of 2007 of Ireland, the Transparency Rules of the Central Bank of Ireland, the applicable International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union, the Companies Act 2014 and the Listing Rules issued by Euronext Dublin.
Each of the Directors, whose names and functions are listed on pages 64 and 65 of the Annual Report confirms that to the best of each person’s knowledge and belief:
- the Consolidated Financial Statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2019 have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Company and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole;
- the Operating and Financial Review includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business for the financial year ended 31 December 2019 and the position of the Company and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that they face; and
- the Annual Report and Financial Statements, taken as a whole, are fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Group’s position and performance, business model and strategy.
This responsibility statement was approved by the Board of Directors on 4 March 2020 and signed on its behalf by:
Eamonn Rothwell, Director
David Ledwidge, Director