Welcome to this week’s Technical Roundup.
In developments this week, the International Sustainability Standards Board has published Exposure Draft Methodology for Enhancing the International Applicability of the SASB Standards; the European Securities and Markets Authority has decided to postpone to 2024 the amendment of the European Single Electronic Format (ESEF) Regulatory Technical Standard (RTS).
Read more on these and other developments that may be of interest to members below.
Financial Reporting
The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) has published its draft comment letter in response to the International Accounting Standards Board’s (IASB) Exposure Draft 2023/2 Amendments to the Classification and Measurement of Financial Instruments. Comments are requested by EFRAG until 30 June 2023.
EFRAG, along with ICAS and EFFAS have published The production and consumption of information on intangibles: An empirical investigation of preparers and users. This academic study looks at the measures and disclosures on unreported intangibles that are considered useful for decision making in financial statements.
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has published a consultation to revise Technical Actuarial Standard 300 (TAS 300) and introduce Technical Actuarial Standard 310 (TAS 310), aimed at ensuring the actuarial standards in relation to pensions remain relevant and reflect developments in the pension industry.
Audit
The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has issued updated guidance for PSO Notification to Suppliers - Engagement of Auditors 2023-24, the updates reflect the revised ISRS 4400 Engagements to perform Agreed-upon Procedures regarding Financial Information. https://www.cru.ie/publications/27473/
Anti money laundering
The UK National Crime Agency has issued its latest SARs in Action Issue 20. It deals with topics such as key trends in fraud, romance fraud, money mules and fraud communications and the accountancy sector as an attractive target for payment diversion fraud.
Sustainability
Public Sector Guidance to Report on Sustainability Program Information. The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB®), developer of IPSAS, international accrual-based accounting standards for use by governments and other public sector entities around the world, has issued Reporting Sustainability Program Information—Amendments to RPGs 1 and 3: Additional Non-Authoritative Guidance. To access this guidance, its summary At-a-Glance document, and webcast, visit the IPSASB website.
The International Sustainability Standards Board has published Exposure Draft Methodology for Enhancing the International Applicability of the SASB Standards. The document will be available to download from the Open for comment section and from the International Applicability of the SASB Standards project page.
The Irish Central Bank has recently issued a financial stability note entitled “Going Green, The Growth in Green Mortgage Financing in Ireland” .Content includes an overview, characteristics of green mortgages and comparison of green and non-green market shares.
Click to read an article on “How Ireland Is Becoming a leader in Renewable Energy Technology”
Other
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has decided to postpone to 2024 the amendment of the European Single Electronic Format (ESEF) Regulatory Technical Standard (RTS). This decision is in part due to the limited changes in the 2023 update to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Taxonomy.
On May 8th, 2023, the Dept. Of Enterprise Trade and Employment (DETE) launched a public consultation on proposals to enhance the Companies Act 2014. Please click the link for the DETE press release on the consultation and here to access the consultation and submissions can be e mailed to companylawconsultation@enterprise.gov.ie. The Institute will be working with the various committees to respond to the consultation on behalf of members The closing date is no later than 5pm on 9 June 2023. The consultation is divided into four sections and below you can read a summary of what each section entails if you click onto an Institute news article here.
The Institute recently hosted a webinar on the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022 which was moderated by Stephen Lowry, Public Policy manager at the Institute. Panellists were Barry Robinson of BDO Ireland, Michael Deeny, an experienced compliance officer and Annelie Demred of Whistlelink, and Institute Technical Manager, Lilian Halpin. The webinar gave an overview of the new legislation, client insights and their experience of implementation together with a demonstration of a whistleblowing compliance tool. You can view a recording of the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/erP92edn
Government approval has been welcomed for the priority drafting of legislation to enhance the protection of employees in collective redundancies following insolvency. According to DETE the Bill will further enhance the protection of employees in a collective redundancy situation following their employer’s insolvency by amending the Protection of Employment Act 1977, which governs collective redundancy rules, and the Companies Act 2014. The Bill will also provide for the establishment of a new statutory Employment Law Review Group which will advise the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment on all aspects of employment and redundancy law. The Bill will strengthen the already robust legislative protections and safeguards afforded to the employees.
The Companies Registration Office (CRO) has issued the revised date for the requirement to provide a company director’s PPSN for certain filings. The date is now Sunday 11th June 2023 and the CRO has published FAQs to provide further information.
Click to read the Governor of the Central Bank’s blog on crypto and how we can protect the consumer. He discusses the Central Bank’s position on the monitoring and regulation of crypto, decentralised finance, and the scope for leveraging its potential. He references the crypto ecosystem and the risks from crypto and how to address the crypto risk. He also welcomes the European Parliament’s recent approval of the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA).
The Minister for Finance recently spoke at a dinner for the Irish Funds sector .He spoke generally about the sector and also mentioned recent Cabinet approval for a review of the Funds sector which will seek to ensure that the funds sector framework is up-to-date and fit for purpose in the years ahead and that it continues to support national and regional economic growth, as well as job creation. The review will involve a consultation and a 3-month period for completion of submissions.
The Workplace Relations Commission recently published its annual report for 2022. In the report you can read about its activities for the year, and it includes information on Inspection and Enforcement Service, inspections in 2022 and Civil Enforcement of Adjudication Awards together with complaints in 2022, details of its Conciliation, Advisory and Mediation Services and its legal division.
In other news on the WRC, it has been directed under Section 20(2) of the Workplace Relations Act 2015, to prepare a Code of Practice on the ‘Right to Request Remote Working’ as required under Part 4 of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. See here for WRC website also for further information. To that end it is undertaking a public consultation with a view to drafting a Code of Practice on the Right to Request Remote Working. Submissions on this matter to be submitted to the WRC by 5pm on 9 June 2023.
For further technical information and updates please visit the Technical Hub on the Institute website. Technical Hub on the Institute website.