We have audited the financial statements in the Main Accounts and Notes to the Accounts sections which have been prepared under the historical cost convention and the accounting policies set out in Notes (1-3) section. We have also examined the amounts disclosed relating to share options of Directors which form part of the Remuneration Committee Report found in the Directors’ Reports section.

Respective responsibilities of Directors and Auditors
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report. As described in the Corporate Governance section, this includes responsibility for preparing the financial statements, in accordance with applicable United Kingdom accounting standards. Our responsibilities, as independent auditors, are established in the United Kingdom by statute, the Auditing Practices Board, the Listing Rules of the London Stock Exchange and our profession's ethical guidance.

We report to you our opinion as to whether the financial statements give a true and fair view and are properly prepared in accordance with the United Kingdom Companies Act. We also report to you if, in our opinion, the Directors’ report is not consistent with the financial statements, if 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 or the Listing Rules regarding Directors’ remuneration and transactions is not disclosed.

We read the other information contained in the Annual Report and consider the implications for our report if we become aware of any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the financial statements.

We review whether the statement in the Corporate Governance section reflects the Company's compliance with the seven provisions of the Combined Code specified for our review by the London Stock Exchange, 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 to form an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's corporate governance procedures or its risk and control procedures.

Basis of audit opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with Auditing Standards 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. 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 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 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.

Opinion
In our opinion the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the Company’s affairs at 31 January 2000 and of its profit and cash flow for the year then ended and have been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 1985.