Being denied access to necessary information such as expenditure and budget reports because they are considered confidential affects the authority of the internal audit activity. Authority, as granted by the audit charter, should include unrestricted access to all records and data required by the audit team to perform its duties effectively. Limitations on access impair the audit's scope and the auditors' ability to conduct thorough and complete audits. References: IIA Standard 1110: Organizational Independence, which stresses the importance of internal auditors having appropriate and unrestricted access to information.