Independent Assurance Report

Independent Assurance Report to the Directors of DCC plc

We have been engaged by the directors of DCC plc (DCC) to perform an independent assurance engagement in respect of selected aspects of DCC’s sustainability performance, disclosed in its Sustainability Report for the year ended 31 March 2013 (‘the Report’).

What we did and our conclusions

We planned and performed our work, summarised below, to obtain the evidence we considered necessary to reach our assurance conclusions on the Selected Sustainability Data.

What we are assuring (Selected Sustainability Information)

  • The selected sustainability data for the year ended 31 March 2013 marked with the symbol * presented in the Report (the Selected Sustainability Data).
  • DCC’s declared Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) application level of C+ of the GRI “G3” Guidelines as stated on page 49 of the Report.

The scope of our work was restricted to the Selected Sustainability Information for the year ended 31 March 2013 and does not extend to information in respect of earlier periods or to any other information in the Report.

How the information is assessed (Reporting Criteria )

DCC’s Reporting Criteria and the GRI G3 Guidelines at https://www.globalreporting.org/reporting/guidelines-online/G3Online/Pages/default.aspx set out how the Selected Sustainability Data is measured, recorded and reported.

Assurance standard applied1

ISAE 3000.

Level of assurance2

Limited Assurance.

Understanding DCC’s reporting and measurement methodology

There is not yet an established practice for evaluating and measuring sustainability performance information. The range of different, but acceptable, techniques used can result in materially different reporting outcomes which may affect comparability with other organisations. It is therefore important to read and understand the Reporting Criteria at http://www.dcc.ie/~/media/Files/D/DCC-Corp/pdfs/carbon-LTI-reporting-criteria.pdf and the GRI G3 Guidelines at https://www.globalreporting.org/reporting/guidelines-online/G3Online/Pages/default.aspx that DCC has used to evaluate and measure the Selected Sustainability Data.

Limited assurance work performed on the Selected Sustainability Information

We performed the following activities:

  • Evaluated the design and implementation of key processes and controls over the Selected Sustainability Data;
  • Assessed the source data used to prepare the Selected Sustainability Data for 2012/2013, including re-performing a sample of calculations;
  • Carried out analytical procedures over the Selected Sustainability Data;
  • Examined on a sample basis the preparation and collation of the Selected Sustainability Data, as well as making inquiries of management and others;
  • Performed site visits to eight sites to review systems and processes in place for managing and reporting on sustainability activities, and examined source documentation on a sample basis;
  • With respect to the carbon figures disclosed on page 54 of the Report, we evaluated the methodology and basis of converting the original reported unit into carbon emission equivalent tonnes. We agreed a sample of emission factors back to the stated source (as detailed in the Reporting Criteria);
  • Reviewed the Selected Sustainability Data disclosures; and
  • Assessed the GRI Index on page 56 of the Report for compliance with the GRI application level requirements for C+. This consisted of examining supporting documentation, on a sample basis, where relevant.

Our conclusions

As a result of our procedures nothing has come to our attention that indicates:

  • The Selected Sustainability Data for the year ended 31 March 2013 is not prepared in all material respects with the Reporting Criteria; and
  • DCC’s declared GRI application level of C+ on page 49 of the Report is not fairly stated in all material respects.

DCC’s responsibilities

The directors of DCC are responsible for:

  • designing, implementing and maintaining internal controls over information relevant to the Selected Sustainability Data;
  • establishing objective assessment and Reporting Criteria for preparing the Selected Sustainability Data;
  • measuring DCC’s performance based on the Reporting Criteria; and
  • the content of the Annual Report.

Our responsibilities

We are responsible for:

  • forming independent conclusions, based on our limited assurance procedures;
  • reporting our conclusions to the directors of DCC; and
  • reading the other information included in the Report as well as the Chief Executive’s Review, Group at a Glance, Business Model and Strategy, Corporate Governance Statement and Report of the Directors of the DCC plc Annual Report, and considering the consistency of that other information with the understanding gained from our work, and considering the implications for our report if we become aware of any material inconsistencies. Our responsibilities do not extend to any information other than the Selected Sustainability Data in the Report.

This report, including our conclusions, has been prepared solely for the directors of DCC as a body in accordance with the agreement between us, to assist the directors in reporting DCC’s sustainability performance and activities. We permit this report to be disclosed in the Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2013, to enable the directors to show they have addressed their governance responsibilities by obtaining an independent assurance report in connection with the Selected Sustainability Data. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the directors as a body and DCC plc for our work or this report except where terms are expressly agreed between us in writing.

PricewaterhouseCoopers
Chartered Accountants
Dublin, Ireland
13 May 2013

Notes
1 International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3000 (Revised) – ‘Assurance Engagements other than Audits and Reviews of Historical Financial Information’ issued by the IAASB..
2 Assurance, defined by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), gives the user confidence about the subject matter (“Sustainability Information”) assessed against the Reporting Criteria. Reasonable assurance gives more confidence than limited assurance. The evidence gathered to support a reasonable assurance conclusion is greater than that gathered to support a limited assurance conclusion.
3 We comply with the applicable independence and competency requirements of the Chartered Accountancy Regulatory Board (CARB) Code of Ethics.