Accrediting teams will benchmark academic salary levels against national data published annually by the American Association of University Professors, and against salary levels at similar institutions in the region. They will also comment upon institutional policy in granting tenure. I am well aware that some of these issues are dealt with in the UK in a different way. The funding councils routinely inquire into matters of governance and fiscal responsibility, and there is, of course, a continual public audit process where taxpayers' money is concerned. In the US, the fact that state and federal governments audit the use of public funds does not preclude academic accreditors from delving into such matters as well.
Quality is a holistic concept.
High quality and high standards are the outcomes of a complex interaction, involving management at all levels and of many different types. Rather, it is for those who argue for the status quo to defend a policy by which some areas of managerial prerogative are part of the academic quality assurance process, but others are not. In any investigation, the best questions may well be subversive. That is no reason for not asking them.