[F1Article 5U.K.Certification
1.The competent authority shall designate the certification body provided for in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
2.The certification body shall organise its work in an effective and efficient manner, and carry out its checks within an appropriate time frame, taking into account the nature and the timing of the transactions for the financial year concerned.
3.The opinion to be provided by the certification body in accordance with Article 9(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 shall be drawn up annually.
That opinion shall be based on the audit work to be carried out in accordance with Articles 6 and 7 of this Regulation.
4.The certification body shall draw up a report of its findings. The report shall cover the functions delegated. The report shall state whether, for the period covered by the report:
(a)the paying agency complied with the accreditation criteria;
(b)the paying agency’s procedures were such as to give reasonable assurance that the expenditure charged to the Funds was effected in compliance with Union rules, thus ensuring that the underlying transactions were legal and regular, and that recommendations for improvements, if any, have been followed up;
(c)the annual accounts referred to in Article 29 of this Regulation were kept in accordance with the books and records of the paying agency;
(d)the statements of expenditure and of intervention operations were a materially true, complete and accurate record of the operations charged to the Funds;
(e)the financial interests of the Union were properly protected as regards advances paid, guarantees obtained, intervention stocks and amounts to be collected.
The report shall include information on the number and qualifications of staff conducting the audit, the work done, the number of transactions examined, the level of materiality and confidence obtained, any weaknesses found and recommendations made for improvement and the operations of both the certification body and other audit bodies, internal and external to the paying agency, from which all or part of the certification body’s assurance on the matters reported was gained.]
Textual Amendments
F1Arts. 5-7 omitted (31.1.2020 in so far as it relates to the Common Agricultural Policy direct payment schemes) by virtue of The Financing, Management and Monitoring of Direct Payments to Farmers (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/90), regs. 1(2), 13(4)