NUCLEUS_IP_LIMITED - Accounts

The directors of the company have elected not to include a copy of the profit and loss account within the financial statements.true

For the financial year ended 31 December 2018 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476.

These financial statements have been prepared and delivered in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

Nucleus IP Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 10 St Bride Street, London, EC4A 4AD, United Kingdom.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 as applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime. The disclosure requirements of section 1A of FRS 102 have been applied other than where additional disclosure is required to show a true and fair view.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, the validity of which is dependant upon the continued financial support of Nucleus Limited, the company's ultimate parent company, which is indebted to the company by an amount of £2,286,995true (2017: £2,294,482). This financial support, if required, and the payment of the amount due to the company from Nucleus Limited will necessitate Nucleus Limited realising additional cash resources from sale of part of its investments.

Turnover is recognised at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable for services provided in the normal course of business, and is shown net of VAT and other sales related taxes.

Revenue from contracts for the provision of professional services is recognised by reference to the stage of completion when the stage of completion, costs incurred and costs to complete can be estimated reliably. The stage of completion is calculated by comparing costs incurred, mainly in relation to contractual hourly staff rates and materials, as a proportion of total costs. Where the outcome cannot be estimated reliably, revenue is recognised only to the extent of the expenses recognised that are recoverable.

Amounts recoverable on contracts, which are included in debtors, are stated at the net sales value of work done after provision for contingencies and anticipated future losses on contracts, less amounts received as progress payments on account. Excess progress payments are included in creditors as payments on account.

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets at rates calculated to write off the cost less estimated residual value of each asset over its expected useful life, as follows:

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is credited or charged to profit or loss.

At each reporting end date, the company reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any). Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the company estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.

Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset for which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted.

If the recoverable amount of an asset (or cash-generating unit) is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease.

Recognised impairment losses are reversed if, and only if, the reasons for the impairment loss have ceased to apply. Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset (or cash-generating unit) in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the reversal of the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation increase.

Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand and deposits held at call with banks.

The company has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the company's balance sheet when the company becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.

Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and loans from fellow group companies, are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.

Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Equity instruments issued by the company are recorded at the proceeds received, net of transaction costs. Dividends payable on equity instruments are recognised as liabilities once they are no longer at the discretion of the company.

The tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable.

The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from net profit as reported in the profit and loss account because it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and it further excludes items that are never taxable or deductible. The company’s liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting end date.

The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as part of the cost of stock or fixed assets.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

The company still has obligations under a defined benefits pension scheme. The scheme was closed to new entrants during 2003 and with effect from 5 April 2004 was closed to the future accrual of benefits.

The cost of providing benefits under defined benefit plans is determined separately for each plan using the projected unit credit method, and is based on actuarial advice.

The change in the net defined benefit liability arising from employee service during the year is recognised as an employee cost. The cost of plan introductions, benefit changes, settlements and curtailments are recognised as an expense in measuring profit or loss in the period in which they arise.

The net interest element is determined by multiplying the net defined benefit liability by the discount rate, taking into account any changes in the net defined benefit liability during the period as a result of contribution and benefit payments. The net interest is recognised in the profit or loss account.

Remeasurement changes comprise actuarial gains and losses, the effect of the asset ceiling and the return on the net defined benefit liability excluding amounts included in net interest. These are recognised immediately in other comprehensive income in the period in which they occur and are not reclassified to profit and loss in subsequent periods.

The net defined benefit pension asset or liability in the balance sheet comprises the total for each plan of the present value of the defined benefit obligation (using a discount rate based on high quality corporate bonds), less the fair value of plan assets out of which the obligations are to be settled directly. Fair value is based on market price information, and in the case of quoted securities is the published bid price. The value of a net pension benefit asset is limited to the amount that may be recovered either through reduced contributions or agreed refunds from the scheme.

The cost of providing benefits under defined benefit plans is determined separately for each plan using the projected unit credit method, and is based on actuarial advice.

The change in the net defined benefit liability arising from employee service during the year is recognised as an employee cost. The cost of plan introductions, benefit changes, settlements and curtailments are recognised as an expense in measuring profit or loss in the period in which they arise.

Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged to income on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease except where another more systematic basis is more representative of the time pattern in which economic benefits from the lease asset are consumed.

Transactions in currencies other than pounds sterling are recorded at the rates of exchange prevailing at the dates of the transactions. At each reporting end date, monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on the reporting end date. Gains and losses arising on translation are included in the profit and loss account for the period.

In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

The following judgements (apart from those involving estimates) have had the most significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements.

Provision for bad or doubtful debts as at the year end are considered by directors on an annual basis.

A provision is made on a customer by customer basis when the directors feel that the debt is no longer likely to be recovered under normal trading terms.

The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the company during the year was 18 (2017 - 20).

An amount of £2,286,995 (2017: £2,294,482), due from the ultimate parent company, Nucleus Limited, may not be received within 12 months of the year end.

The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the company in an independently administered fund.

The company operates a defined benefit scheme for qualifying employees.

The Hallmark IP Limited Retirement Benefits Plan was set up from 6 April 1974 to provide a range of benefits for the permanent employees of the company. The assets are held in trustee administered funds separate from the company's finances.

The plan was closed to new members during 2003 and no further benefits accrued from 5 April 2004.

Contributions of £41,000 (2017: £41,000) were paid by the employer during the financial year.

The valuation of the defined benefit pension scheme has been based on the most recent valuation at 6 April 2015, and updated by the company's actuaries to take account of the requirement of FRS 102 in order to assess the liabilities of the scheme at 31 December 2018.The present value of the defined benefit obligation, the related current service cost and past service cost were measured using the projected unit credit method.

Assumed life expectations on retirement at age 62:

Amounts recognised in the profit and loss account

Amounts taken to other comprehensive income

The amounts included in the balance sheet arising from the company's obligations in respect of defined benefit plans are as follows:

Movements in the present value of defined benefit obligations

The defined benefit obligations arise from plans which are wholly or partly funded.

Movements in the fair value of plan assets

Fair value of plan assets at the reporting period end

The company has entered into a cross guarantee and debenture in respect of the bank borrowings of its parent and fellow subsidiary companies with Barclays Bank Plc. At 31 December 2018, the total net bank borrowings of group companies amounted to £165,818 (2017: £184,839), of which £290,296 (2017: £350,159) related to borrowings held by the other group companies, and £124,478 (2017: £189,017) related to net cash held by the company.

At the reporting end date the company had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, as follows:

During the year, the company were charged professional fees of £10,665 (2017: £18,744) by an associated company.

At the year end, an amount of £2,380 (2017: £2,713) was owed by an associated company.

The company is owned and controlled by Nucleus Limited. Nucleus IP is included in Nucleus Limited's consolidated financial statements.

Nucleus Limited is the parent undertaking of the smallest group for which consolidated financial statements are drawn up, and of which the company is a member. Nucleus Limited's registered office address is John Loftus House, Summer Road,Thames Ditton, Surrey, KT7 0QQ.