New secondary legislation made under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 establishes a standardised reporting duty for accredited alternative dispute resolution (ADR) providers. Taking effect on 6 April 2026 across the UK, providers must submit annual data to the ADR authority and publish the same information on their own website. The duty is created using section 303 powers and sits alongside section 305, which permits publication of ADR information held by the Secretary of State. (legislation.gov.uk)
For these purposes, the “ADR authority” is the body on which functions are conferred under regulations made using section 307 of the Act. Government has laid draft Conferral of Functions Regulations that would confer those functions on the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) from 6 April 2026 (subject to parliamentary approval), meaning CTSI would receive provider reports and publish core provider information. (legislation.gov.uk)
Accredited ADR providers must provide an annual report within one month of the first anniversary of the date accreditation takes effect, and within one month of each subsequent anniversary. The report must cover the preceding year and address both the provider’s own activity and any ADR carried out under special ADR arrangements with other ADR providers.
Reports must be given to the ADR authority in writing on a durable medium and made available to consumers by publication on the provider’s website, if any. A durable medium includes paper, email or another format that allows information to be stored for future reference and reproduced unchanged. (legislation.gov.uk)
Separately, accredited providers must notify the ADR authority as soon as reasonably practicable when core operational information supplied during accreditation changes. This update obligation applies both to the provider and to any third‑party ADR providers engaged through special ADR arrangements, and the information must be supplied on a durable medium.
Where accreditation ceases and the entity is not an exempt ADR provider, a final report must be submitted within one month of cessation. It must cover the period from the end of the previous report (or, if none, from the date accreditation took effect) to the date accreditation ended, and it must also be published on the provider’s website, if available.
The annual report must present volumes of ADR requests and the proportions accepted, refused with grounds, resolved, discontinued with reasons, and outcomes in favour of consumers or traders. Providers must break down requests by alleged legislation breached and complaint type, set out the kinds of ADR used, and state average resolution times measured both from initial request and from acceptance to outcome. Where known, the report should state compliance with outcomes or actions agreed before resolution, describe recurring systemic issues with recommendations, assess the effectiveness of ADR with proposed improvements, present evidence of trader and consumer confidence and satisfaction, and record training provided to ADR personnel. Where special ADR arrangements exist, the report should summarise the type of ADR conducted and the number of ADR providers engaged.
Core operational information that must be kept up to date includes the provider’s name, contact details and website; the kinds of ADR offered and possible outcomes; the types of disputes and sectors covered; procedural rules including referral time limits, any pre‑conditions on parties and whether ADR is oral or in writing; fees payable by either party; accepted languages; whether outcomes are binding; grounds for refusing disputes; and the complaints process.
Exempt ADR providers must also supply the ADR authority with annual metrics and core operational information, but only to the extent that the same information has been provided to a statutory regulator and relates to consumer contract disputes. The information must be sent in the same form used for the regulator and within one month of providing it to that regulator. “Regulator” in this context means a person who has responsibility for, or oversight of, an area of activity by virtue of legislation.
These reporting requirements operate alongside the wider DMCC Act regime, which makes accreditation mandatory for providers handling consumer contract disputes and prohibits activity unless a provider is accredited, exempt or acting under special ADR arrangements; the Act also revokes the 2015 ADR Regulations. In parallel, the draft Conferral of Functions Regulations would require CTSI to publish provider information and to submit quarterly and annual oversight reports, creating a single reporting and transparency pipeline from April 2026. (legislation.gov.uk)