to the Members of Spectris plc
We have audited the group and parent company financial statements (the 'financial
statements') of Spectris plc for the year ended 31 December 2008, which comprise
the consolidated income statement, the consolidated and parent company balance sheets,
the consolidated cash flow statement, the consolidated statement of recognised income
and expense and the related notes. These financial statements have been prepared
under the accounting policies set out therein. We have also audited the information
in the Directors' Remuneration Report that is described as having been audited.
This report is made solely to the company's members, as a body, in accordance with
section 235 of the Companies Act 1985. Our audit work has been undertaken so that
we might state to the company's members those matters we are required to state to
them in an auditors' report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted
by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company
and the company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for
the opinions we have formed.
Respective responsibilities of directors and auditors
The directors' responsibilities for preparing the Annual Report and the group financial
statements in accordance with applicable law and International Financial Reporting
Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the EU, and for preparing the parent company financial
statements and the Directors' Remuneration Report in accordance with applicable
law and UK Accounting Standards (UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) are
set out in the Statement of Directors' Responsibilities here.
Our responsibility is to audit the financial statements and the part of the Directors'
Remuneration Report to be audited in accordance with relevant legal and regulatory
requirements and International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland).
We report to you our opinion as to whether the financial statements give a true
and fair view and whether the financial statements and the part of the Directors'
Remuneration Report to be audited have been properly prepared in accordance with
the Companies Act 1985, and as regards the group financial statements, Article 4
of the IAS Regulation. We also report to you whether in our opinion the information
given in the Directors' Report is consistent with the financial statements. The
information given in the Directors' Report includes that specific information presented
in the Annual Report that is cross-referred from the Business Review section of the
Directors' Report.
In addition we report to you if, in our opinion, the company has
not kept proper accounting records, if we have not received all
the information and explanations we require for our audit, or if
information specified by law regarding directors? remuneration
and other transactions is not disclosed.
We review whether the Corporate Governance Statement reflects the company's compliance
with the nine provisions of the 2006 FRC Combined Code specified for our review
by the Listing Rules of the Financial Services Authority, and we report if it does
not. We are not required to consider whether the Board's statements on internal
control cover all risks and controls, or form an opinion on the effectiveness of
the group's corporate governance procedures or its risk and control procedures.
We read other information contained in the Annual Report and consider whether it
is consistent with the audited financial statements. We consider the implications
for our report if we become aware of any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies
with the financial statements. Our responsibilities do not extend to any other information.
Basis of audit opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK
and Ireland) issued by the Auditing Practices Board. An audit includes examination,
on a test basis, of evidence relevant to the amounts and disclosures in the financial
statements and the part of the Directors' Remuneration Report to be audited. It
also includes an assessment of the significant estimates and judgements made by
the directors in the preparation of the financial statements, and of whether the
accounting policies are appropriate to the group's and company's circumstances,
consistently applied and adequately disclosed.
We planned and performed our audit so as to obtain all the information and explanations
which we considered necessary in order to provide us with sufficient evidence to
give reasonable assurance that the financial statements and the part of the Directors'
Remuneration Report to be audited are free from material misstatement, whether caused
by fraud or other irregularity or error. In forming our opinion we also evaluated
the overall adequacy of the presentation of information in the financial statements
and the part of the Directors' Remuneration Report to be audited.
Opinion
In our opinion:
- the group financial statements give a true and fair view, in accordance with IFRS
as adopted by the EU, of the state of the group's affairs as at 31 December 2008
and of its profit for the year then ended;
- the group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with the
Companies Act 1985 and Article 4 of the IAS Regulation;
- the parent company financial statements give a true and fair view, in accordance
with UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice, of the state of the parent company's
affairs as at 31 December 2008;
- the parent company financial statements and the part of the Directors' Remuneration
Report to be audited have been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies
Act 1985; and
- the information given in the Directors' Report is consistent with the financial
statements.
KPMG Audit Plc
Chartered Accountants
Registered Auditor
8 Salisbury Square
London EC4Y 8BB
24 February 2009