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The Treasury, being a government department designated[1] for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972[2] regarding measures relating to authorisation or the carrying on of insurance business and the regulation of such business and its conduct, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by that section hereby make the following Regulations: Citation and commencement 1. These Regulations may be cited as the Insurance Accounts Directive (Lloyd's Syndicate and Aggregate Accounts) Regulations 2004 and come into force on 31st December 2004. Interpretation 2. - (1) In these Regulations -
(b) reinsuring such contracts in whole or in part; (c) paying claims on such contracts;
(2) In these Regulations any reference to the accounts required by or prepared under regulation 3 is a reference to the annual accounts, annual report and auditors' report required by or prepared under paragraph (2) of that regulation.
(b) in the case of a syndicate which consists of a single corporate member, at the time when an amount representing the provision for all known and unknown liabilities attributable to the closing year of account, is included in the underwriting account for the following underwriting year.
(4) Other expressions used in these Regulations have the meanings ascribed to them by the 1985 Act. Preparation of syndicate annual accounts 3. - (1) Managing agents must prepare or cause to be prepared the accounts and reports required by paragraph (2), in respect of -
(b) any syndicate that they were the last managing agent to manage during the preceding year and which has no managing agent on 31st December.
(2) Managing agents must, for the financial year preceding 31st December, in respect of each syndicate -
(b) cause to be prepared such an auditors' report,
as would be required under the provisions listed in paragraph (4) below if the syndicate were an insurance company formed and registered under the 1985 Act.
(b) state that they are prepared under this regulation; and (c) comply with such of the requirements of the provisions in paragraph (4) as relate to the contents of the required accounts or reports, subject to the modifications in the Schedule to these Regulations.
(4) The provisions referred to in paragraphs (2) and (3) the provisions are the following provisions of the 1985 Act -
(b) paragraphs 11 and 12 of Schedule 5; (c) paragraph 6 of Schedule 7; (d) Schedule 9A other than -
(ii) in paragraph 2(2) the words from "but the following" to the end of that paragraph; and (iii) Part 2 of that Schedule.
(5) For the purposes of the provisions listed in paragraph (4) as applied to accounts prepared under this regulation, these Regulations shall be regarded as part of the requirements of the 1985 Act.
(b) the members of the syndicate for each underwriting year included in the underwriting year accounts, agree unanimously, in writing, that no underwriting year accounts shall be prepared in respect of that syndicate.
(2) The underwriting year accounts must be an account which -
(b) gives a true and fair view of the result of that underwriting year at closure.
(3) The accounts required by this regulation must -
(b) state that they are prepared under this regulation.
(4) Managing agents must cause to be prepared an auditors' report on the underwriting year accounts required by this regulation stating whether a true and fair view is given of the result of the underwriting year at closure.
(b) supply to any person upon request a copy of those accounts (or such part of those accounts as may be requested) at a price not exceeding the administrative cost of making the copy, for a period of three years from the date of signature of each document.
Penalties for non-compliance Preparation of aggregate accounts by Council of Lloyd's 8. - (1) The members of the Council of Lloyd's must prepare aggregate accounts in respect of each financial year by cumulating all the syndicate annual accounts prepared in accordance with regulation 3 for that year. (2) The aggregate accounts must consist of -
(b) an aggregate profit and loss account.
Those accounts are referred to in these Regulations as the "aggregate accounts".
(b) state that they are prepared under these Regulations.
(4) The aggregate accounts must comply with the provisions of Schedule 9A to the 1985 Act as to the form and content of the aggregate balance sheet and aggregate profit and loss account, and additional information to be provided by way of notes to the accounts, apart from the provisions set out in paragraph (5).
(b) in paragraph 2(2) the words from "but the following" to the end; and (c) Part 2 of that Schedule.
Approval and signing of aggregate accounts
(b) a description of the principal risks and uncertainties facing the Lloyd's market.
(2) The business review in the Council of Lloyd's' annual report must include, to the extent necessary for an understanding of the development, performance or position of the insurance business of the members of Lloyd's -
(b) where appropriate, analysis using other key performance indicators.
(3) The review must, where appropriate, include references to and additional explanations of amounts included in the aggregate accounts.
(b) a description of the scope of the review carried out by the auditors and identifying the standards in accordance with which the review was conducted; (c) a clear statement as to whether, in their opinion, the aggregate accounts have been properly prepared in accordance with the requirements of these Regulations and whether those accounts are correctly aggregated.
(3) The auditors' report -
(b) must include a reference to any matters to which the auditors wish to draw attention by way of emphasis without qualifying the report.
(4) The auditors' report must state whether, in their opinion, the annual report of the Council of Lloyd's -
(b) has been prepared in accordance with these Regulations.
Signature of auditors' report
(b) supply to any person upon request a copy of those accounts or that report (or such part of them as may be requested) at a price not exceeding the administrative cost of making the copy.
Functions of the Financial Services Authority 16. - (1) The Authority has responsibility for administering the system of regulation of Lloyd's syndicates and the Council of Lloyd's provided for by these Regulations. (2) Proceedings for an offence under these Regulations may be instituted only -
(b) by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
(3) In exercising its power to institute proceedings for an offence under these Regulations, the Authority must comply with any conditions or restrictions imposed in writing by the Treasury. Transitional provisions 17. - (1) The managing agent of a syndicate need not prepare accounts in accordance with regulations 3 and 4 with respect to a financial year of the syndicate commencing on or before 31st December 2004. (2) Where advantage is taken of paragraph (1), regulation 7 does not apply to the managing agent. (3) The members of the Council of Lloyd's need not -
(b) prepare an annual report in accordance with regulation 10; or (c) obtain an auditors' report in accordance with regulation 12
with respect to a financial year commencing on or before 31st December 2004.
(3) In regulation 6(2) of those regulations the following words are deleted -
1. The accounts prepared under regulation 3 must comply with the provisions of the 1985 Act set out in paragraph (4) of that regulation subject to any necessary modifications to take account of the fact that syndicates are unincorporated. 2. Where any of the provisions of the 1985 Act set out in regulation 3(4) impose a duty on the directors of a company, that provision shall, in the case of a syndicate, impose the same duty upon the managing agent of the syndicate. 3. The following sections of the 1985 Act are modified in their application to syndicates as follows. 4. Section 226[8] (duty to prepare individual accounts) is modified as follows -
(b) at the end of subsection 226(2)(a), "or" is omitted;
5.
Section 231[9] (disclosure required in notes to accounts: related undertakings) is modified so that subsection (7) is omitted.
(b) the specific amount charged to a syndicate by its managing agent in respect of emoluments paid to the syndicate's active underwriter and (where applicable) its run-off manager in the last financial year.";
(c) for subsection (3) substitute the following -
(b) does not include any of the following, namely -
(ii) any contributions paid, or treated as paid, in respect of him under any pension scheme or any benefits to which he is entitled under any such scheme; or (iii) any money or other assets paid, received or receivable under any long term incentive scheme."; and
(d) subsection (4) is omitted.
(2) In this paragraph -
7.
Section 233[11] (approval and signing of accounts) is modified as follows -
8.
Section 234[12] (duty to prepare directors' report) is modified as follows -
(b) in subsection (2)omit "the names of the persons who, at any time during the financial year were directors of the company, and"; (c) subsections (5) and (6) are omitted.
9.
Section 234A[13] (approval and signing of directors' report) is modified as follows -
10.
Section 235[14] (auditors' report) is modified so that subsection (1) is substituted as follows -
11.
Section 236[15] (signature of auditors report) is modified as follows -
12.
Section 240[16] (requirements in connections with publication of accounts) is modified as follows -
(b) subsection (6) is omitted.
13.
Schedule 9A[17] (form and content of accounts of insurance companies and groups) is modified by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph 72 -
(This note is not part of the Regulations) These Regulations implement Directive 2003/51/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 78/660/EC, 83/349/EEC, 86/635/EEC and 91/674/EEC as regards modernising the annual and consolidated accounts of certain types of companies, banks, other financial institutions and insurance undertakings to bring the preparation of those accounts more into line with international accounting standards (OJ L 178, 17/07/2003, p.16 - 22) ("the Modernisation Directive"), in relation to Lloyd's of London. The Modernisation Directive amends Directive 91/674/EEC ("the Insurance Accounts Directive") by deleting the annex to that directive which contained special provisions relating to the accounts prepared by syndicates in the Lloyd's of London market and by the Council of Lloyd's for the market as a whole. The effect of that amendment and the amendment to article 4 of the Insurance Accounts Directive is that syndicates at Lloyd's are now required to prepare annual accounts using the same basic format for their balance sheet, profit and loss account and the notes to their accounts as other insurance undertakings. The majority of the provisions in the Insurance Accounts Directive now apply to syndicate accounts whereas previously they did not. The accounts which must be prepared for the market as a whole, are not required to be consolidated accounts but are instead to be aggregated accounts prepared by cumulating all syndicate accounts. Regulation 3 requires managing agents of syndicates to prepare annual accounts for each syndicate for which they are responsible on 31st December for the preceding financial year. The accounts that they are required to prepare must comply with the provisions in the Companies Act 1985 which govern the accounts of insurance companies, which are specified in that regulation. The provisions which are specified in the Companies Act are in Part 7 of the Act and Schedule 9A to the Act. Regulation 3 also requires managing agents to ensure the preparation of a directors' report and an auditors' report. Some of the provisions of the Companies Act with which the syndicate annual accounts and reports must comply, are modified in their application to syndicates by the Schedule to these Regulations. Regulation 4 requires the preparation of a separate set of accounts which are to be separately audited. The accounts required by regulation 4 are to be prepared on an underwriting year basis in respect of any underwriting year which is being closed by way of reinsurance to close. Such underwriting year accounts must give a true and fair view of the result of the closing year of account at closure. There are two exceptions to the requirement to produce underwriting year accounts set out in regulation 4. Regulation 5 requires managing agents of a syndicate to send copies of the accounts prepared under regulations 3 and 4 to the members of the syndicate, the Council of Lloyd's and the Financial Services Authority. Regulation 6 requires the Council of Lloyd's to make copies of syndicate accounts that it receives, available to the public on reasonable notice. Regulation 7 makes it a summary offence for managing agents to fail to comply with regulations 3, 4 and 5, punishable by a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale. By applying section 731 of the Companies Act 1985 to these new offences, the time limit for laying an information relating to these offences is extended. Regulation 8 requires the Council of Lloyd's to prepare aggregate accounts in respect of each financial year. These accounts are to be an aggregation of all the annual syndicate accounts prepared under regulation 3 for that year and are to comply with the provisions of Schedule 9A of the Companies Act 1985 apart from the provisions specified in paragraph (4). Regulation 10 requires the Council of Lloyd's to prepare an annual report containing a fair review of the business carried on by the members of Lloyd's and an assessment of the risks facing the Lloyd's market. Regulation 12 requires the Council of Lloyd's to obtain an auditors' report on the aggregate accounts. Regulations 13 and 14 deal with signature of the auditors' report and the duties of the auditors. Regulation 15 requires the Council of Lloyd's to deliver the aggregate accounts and its annual report to the Financial Services Authority. Those accounts and report must also be available for public inspection on reasonable notice. Regulation 16 imposes certain statutory functions on the Financial Services Authority in relation to overseeing the preparation and delivery of accounts by Lloyd's syndicates and the Council of Lloyd's. Regulation 17 makes transitional provisions and regulation 18 revokes certain provisions in the Insurance Accounts Directive (Miscellaneous Insurance Undertakings) Regulations 1993 (S.I. 3245/1993) which had previously imposed requirements on Lloyd's to prepare and publish accounts. The Schedule to the Regulations modifies several of the provisions of the Companies Act 1985 which are applied to syndicate accounts in order to make allowance for the differences between syndicates and insurance companies. Paragraph 12 of the Schedule imposes a new requirement in relation to the notes to syndicate accounts. This requires syndicate annual accounts to include a description in general terms of the requirements to hold funds at Lloyd's, which members are subject to. A regulatory impact assessment has been prepared in relation to these Regulations as has a transposition note showing how the main provisions of the Directive, as it applies to Lloyd's, are being transposed into UK law. A copy of both documents can be obtained from the Capital Markets and Governance Team, HM Treasury, 1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ. Both documents are also available on the Treasury website (www.hm-treasury.gov.uk) and copies have been placed in the library of both Houses of Parliament. Notes: [1] S.I. 1997/2781.back [4] sections 226, 235, 236 and 240 were amended by and section 226A was inserted by the Companies Act 1985 (International Accounting Standards and Other Accounting Amendments) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/2947)back [8] Section 226 was substituted by S.I. 2004/2947back [9] Inserted by the Companies Act 1989 and amended by S.I. 1993/1820 and S.I. 1996/189.back [10] Inserted by the Companies Act 1989 and amended by S.I. 2002/1986back [11] Inserted by the Companies Act 1989.back [12] Inserted by the Companies Act 1989 and amended by the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004 (2004 c. ) and S.I. 1996/189.back [13] Inserted by the Companies Act 1989.back [14] Inserted by the Companies Act 1989 and amended by S.I. 2002/1986 and S.I. 2004/2947.back [15] Inserted by the Companies Act 1989 and amended by S.I. 2004/2947.back [16] Inserted by the Companies Act 1989 and amended by S.I. 1994/1935 and S.I. 2004/2947.back [17] As substituted by SI 1993/3246 and amended by S.I. 2004/2947.back
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