Pressure On Academic Accountancy

EDM number 126 in 1993-94, proposed by Austin Mitchell on 30/11/1993.

That this House deplores the attempt by the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants to silence Dr Prem Sikka's criticisms of the lack of internal democracy in the Association by writing to the Vice Chancellor of the University of East London as an attempt to infringe academic freedom and is concerned that this example is only the latest in a growing list of attempts to pressurise academics working in the field of accountancy by threats of law suits, withdrawals of grants and more covert pressures on the academic institutions which employ them; and calls on the accountancy professional bodies, the major accountancy firms and the profession generally to recognise that the enormous power they hold should be tempered by a respect for independent criticism, impartial enquiry, and academic analysis all of which have a major contribution to make to the development of accountancy and audit and the refinement of their institutions and procedures.

This motion has been signed by a total of 42 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.