UKLR 6.6.6R(8)(d) · ISSA (UK) 5000
The UK SRS assurance statement: four things to say
The FCA’s UK SRS rules do not require assurance; they require a company to say whether it has any.
That statement has four parts when the answer is yes and one when it is no.
This page reads each part, and what it means when the engagement follows the FRC’s ISSA (UK) 5000.
What the rule asks
One question, then four details
The first stage is the question every in-scope company answers.
The next four apply only when the answer is yes.
Whether third-party assurance was obtained over the UK SRS disclosures.
The FCA decided not to make companies publish assurance reports that were obtained privately.
Part (iv) applies only where a report has been published.
Part (ii)
Limited or reasonable: what the level tells a reader
A negative conclusion: nothing has come to the practitioner’s attention suggesting material misstatement.
A positive opinion that the information is prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with the criteria.
Source: ISSA (UK) 5000 ¶¶190, 198L, 198R.
The level is the single most useful word in the statement, because the two conclusions promise very different things.
A reader seeing “limited assurance over Scope 1 and 2 emissions” knows the scope was narrow and the conclusion negative.
Reasonable assurance across all UK SRS disclosures would be a much larger engagement, and nothing in the rules asks for it.
Part (iii)
ISSA (UK) 5000 and what “effective” means
The FRC issued ISSA (UK) 5000 as the UK version of the IAASB’s international sustainability assurance standard.
Effective means that a practitioner who says it followed the standard must comply with all of it.
It does not mean anyone must commission an engagement.
A calendar-year company’s first UK SRS period, 2027, falls after the effective date, so an engagement on it can follow ISSA (UK) 5000 without early application.
The FRC’s standards library lists the other standards a provider might name in part (iii).
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| Issued | 12 November 2025, by the FRC |
| Status | For voluntary use by UK assurance providers |
| Effective | Periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026 |
| Earlier application | Permitted |
| Levels covered | Limited and reasonable |
Part (i)
Who can provide it
The rule asks only for the provider’s name.
The government’s response on an oversight regime chose a voluntary, opt-in register for sustainability assurance providers.
Registration is therefore not a condition of providing assurance, and an unregistered provider can be named in the statement.
This site describes the rule; it does not provide, recommend or rank assurance providers.
For the statement’s companion on transition plans, read the transition plan statement page.
Frequently asked
Questions people ask
Is assurance required for UK SRS?
No. No UK law or listing rule requires a company to obtain assurance over its UK SRS disclosures.
The FCA’s rules require a listed company in scope to state whether it obtained third-party assurance and, if so, to give details.
The FCA has said it will keep the case for requiring assurance under review.
What does the UK SRS assurance statement contain?
Under UKLR 6.6.6R(8)(d) the company states whether it obtained third-party assurance over its UK SRS disclosures.
If it did, it names the provider, says which disclosures were assured and to what level, names the assurance standards used, and says where any published assurance report can be found.
Must a company explain why it did not obtain assurance?
No. The FCA decided not to require an explanation where assurance has not been sought.
The statement simply says that no third-party assurance was obtained.
Which assurance standard should be used for UK SRS?
The FCA names none; it asks which standards were used.
The FRC issued ISSA (UK) 5000 on 12 November 2025 for voluntary use.
It is effective for engagements on sustainability information for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026, with earlier application permitted.
What is the difference between limited and reasonable assurance?
A reasonable assurance report gives a positive opinion that the information is prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with the criteria.
A limited assurance report states only that nothing has come to the practitioner’s attention that causes it to believe the information is materially misstated, and must say that the assurance obtained is substantially lower.
Does an assurance provider need to be registered?
No. The government chose a voluntary, opt-in oversight regime for sustainability assurance providers, so registration is not a condition of providing assurance.
Sources
Primary sources
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPS26/19 — full text, including the made instrument (UKLR 6.6.6R(7A), (7B), (8) and UKLR TP 16)
UKLR 6.6.6R(8)(d) as made, and the decisions not to require assurance or explanations of its absence.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPS26/19: Aligning listed issuers’ sustainability disclosures with international standards (30 September 2026)
The final rules: comply or explain across UK SRS for UKLR 6, 14, 15, 16 and 22.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityFCA Handbook, UKLR 6.6 — annual financial report (as from 1 January 2027)
The rule the new disclosure limbs sit in.
- Financial Reporting CouncilISSA (UK) 5000 General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements
¶15 effective date; ¶¶190, 198L and 198R on the two levels of assurance.
- Financial Reporting CouncilFRC assurance standards library
Records ISSA (UK) 5000 as published on 12 November 2025.
- Financial Reporting CouncilFRC takes steps to support quality and consistency in the assurance of sustainability reporting (November 2025)
The announcement of ISSA (UK) 5000 for voluntary use.
- Department for Business and TradeDeveloping an oversight regime for assurance of sustainability-related financial disclosures — government response
The decision for a voluntary, opt-in register of assurance providers.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityCP26/5 — the consultation the final rules replace (30 January 2026)
Cited only for what was proposed, including a mandatory UK SRS S2 that the final rules dropped.
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S1 General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information (25 February 2026)
The general Standard, read at the paragraph.
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures (25 February 2026)
The climate Standard, including Appendix C on transition.
- Department for Business and TradeUK Sustainability Reporting Standards: UK SRS S1 and UK SRS S2 — publication page
Where both Standards were published on 25 February 2026.
- Department for Business and TradeGovernment response to the consultation on UK SRS — web version
What changed between the exposure drafts and the final Standards, and why.