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PrintTechnical Enquiry Service
Technical FAQs
Financial Regulations
CIPFA's Panels
Disclaimer
CIPFA provides a Technical Enquiry Service (TES) to qualified members and registered students of CIPFA and graduates of the CIPFA Advanced Diploma. The TES provides information, guidance and advice on professional issues.
The TES provides:
- Direction to, and factual information relating to legislation, statutory instruments, circulars and other material in the public domain, as well as CIPFA's own publications and other services, and contact names and addresses for these.
- Specialist technical guidance and advice relating to accounting and auditing standards, CIPFA's standards of professional practice, statements of best practice including the Local Authority SORP and BVACOP and other pronouncements, CIPFA's views on current issues, ethical concerns and the legal restrictions on CIPFA members in practice.
The TES desk is staffed between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm and may be contacted by phone on 020 7543 5888, (a 24 hour answer phone service is provided) or by fax on 020 7543 5700. Alternatively you may email your enquiry to technical.enquiry@cipfa.org or submit via the Membership Secure Area at the CIPFA Learning Centre.
CIPFA members in Scotland and Northern Ireland have, in addition, access to technical enquiry assistance provided by CIPFA in Scotland (0131 551 2100) and CIPFA in Northern Ireland (02890 266 770).
We aim to answer 70% of queries within three working days; however, if the enquiry needs to be referred to a volunteer, it may take longer. Please note the TES cannot answer queries involving the provision of a legal view or which are the subject of discussion with the external auditor.
Ethics Advisory Panel
The helpdesk also has a small list of members who are willing to discuss ethical issues with members. This is a confidential service and is separate from the Institute. The advice, which may be offered by the panel, is not considered to be official CIPFA advice and it is not intended that this advice should have any legal status.
For a query to fall within the ambit of the Ethics Advisory Panel it should be in respect of an ethical issue concerning a member's professional conduct in relation to the Standard of Professional Practice on Ethics.
Technical FAQs
A proportion of the queries received by the Technical Enquiry Service can be resolved by reference to model responses. It may be worth referring to this section before contacting us if your question is likely to be topical. The questions cover accounting issues relating to local government in England and Wales. There is a separate set of questions relating specifically to Scotland at the CIPFA in Scotland site.
Financial Regulations
The introduction of new political structures raises crucial governance issues and can expose an authority to risk. CIPFA have produced guidance entitled Financial Regulations: A Good Practice Guide for an English Modern Council. This guidance provides a ready source of advice and clarifies the financial accountabilities of individuals. The guidance will be available in book format for general use and additionally in electronic form for tailoring to individual authorities' particular requirements. For more details please visit the online CIPFA Shop
CIPFA's Panels
CIPFA has a number of functional and sectoral panels which are reponsible for the Institute's policy and technical work. These panels are generally made up of volunteers who have a particular interest and expertise in the area of work concerned. They are constituted in such a way that the members as a whole are representative of the sector(s) covered by the panel and of the interests concerned. Members of staff in the Policy and Technical Directorate provide secretarial and technical support.
Accounting
and Auditing Standards Panel
Audit Panel
Central Government
Panel
Charities Panel
Financial
Management Panel
Further and Higher
Education Panel
Health Panel
IT Panel
Local Authority Accounting
Panel
Local Authority
Education Panel
Local Authority
Housing Panel
Local Government Policy
Panel
Pensions Panel
Police Panel
RSLs Panel
Social
Services Panel
Treasury
Management Panel
| DISCLAIMER |