The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Alternative Dispute Resolution) (Information) Regulations 2026

Published: Mon 16th Mar 26

These Regulations, made under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, establish mandatory information reporting obligations for various types of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) providers concerning consumer contract disputes.

Accredited ADR providers must submit annual reports detailing performance metrics and systemic issues, alongside updating operational information previously submitted during accreditation.

Former accredited providers must submit a final report, and designated exempt ADR providers must provide information to the overarching ADR authority if that data is already supplied to their sector-specific regulator, all aimed at improving regulatory oversight and consumer protection in dispute resolution.

Arguments For

Establishing clear, mandatory reporting frameworks ensures transparency regarding the performance, effectiveness, and compliance of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes.
Requiring regular annual reports (Part 1) from accredited providers allows regulators and consumers to monitor dispute resolution trends, identify systemic market issues, and assess the overall consumer confidence in ADR mechanisms.
Mandating information updates (Part 2) ensures that crucial operational details about ADR providers, such as processes, fees, and binding nature of outcomes, remain current and accessible to consumers.

Arguments Against

The administrative burden of compiling and submitting detailed annual statistics, especially categorizing disputes by alleged breached legislation, may divert resources from the core function of resolving disputes.
Requiring former accredited providers to report places an ongoing administrative responsibility on entities that no longer hold that status, potentially leading to compliance gaps or difficulties in data retention.
Exempt ADR providers only submit data if it mirrors what they give to another regulator, which could result in fragmented or inconsistent data sets being submitted to the designated ADR authority.

2026 No. 293

CONSUMER PROTECTION

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Alternative Dispute Resolution) (Information) Regulations 2026

This establishes the legal instrument's identity as Statutory Instrument 2026 No. 293, concerning Consumer Protection, and names the regulation as dealing with information requirements for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.

| Made - - - | 11th March 2026 | |------------------------|-------------------| | Laid before Parliament | 16th March 2026 | | Coming into force - | 6th April 2026 |

The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 303(1), (2), (3) and (5) of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024( 1 ).

This outlines the procedural timeline: the Regulations were finalized on March 11, 2026, presented to Parliament on March 16, 2026, and officially began operating on April 6, 2026.

The Secretary of State enacted these rules using the specific powers granted under section 303 subsections (1), (2), (3), and (5) of the 2024 Act.

Citation, commencement and extent

-(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Alternative Dispute Resolution) (Information) Regulations 2026.

(2) These Regulations come into force on 6th April 2026.
(3) These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The first regulation identifies the official short title for these rules.

It confirms that they become legally effective on April 6, 2026.

Furthermore, the scope of these Regulations applies across the entire United Kingdom, covering England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Interpretation

In these Regulations-

'the Act' means the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024;

'the ADR authority' means-

(a) any person on which functions are conferred by regulations made under section 307 of the Act; or
(b) where there is no such person, the Secretary of State;

'durable medium' means paper or email, or any other medium that-

(a) allows information to be addressed to the recipient;
(b) enables the recipient to store the information in a way accessible for future reference for a period that is long enough for the purposes of the information; and
(c) allows the unchanged reproduction of the information stored.

This section defines key terms used throughout the document. 'The Act' refers specifically to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.

The 'ADR authority' is the designated body receiving reports, either someone appointed under section 307 of the Act or, failing that appointment, the Secretary of State.

A 'durable medium' is defined as a standard format like paper or email, or any other system that allows targeted delivery, long-term secure storage for future use, and exact reproduction of the original information.

Accredited ADR providers

-(1) An accredited ADR provider( 2 ) must, within a month of the first anniversary of the date on which accreditation takes effect and within a month of each subsequent anniversary, provide a report relating to the preceding year which contains the information in Part 1 of the Schedule.

(2) The information in the report must be provided in relation to-

(a) the accredited ADR provider; and
(b) any other ADR provider( 3 ) with whom the accredited ADR provider makes special ADR arrangements( 4 ).

(3) The report must be provided to-

(a) the ADR authority in writing on a durable medium; and
(b) consumers by publishing it on the accredited ADR provider's website, if any.

(4) An accredited ADR provider must, as soon as is reasonably practicable, provide the information set out in Part 2 of the Schedule to the extent it differs from the information provided as part of the application for accreditation under section 296 of the Act or under this regulation.

(5) The information must be provided in relation to-

(a) the accredited ADR provider; and
(b) any other ADR provider with whom the accredited ADR provider makes special ADR arrangements.
(6) The information must be provided to the ADR authority in writing on a durable medium.

Accredited ADR providers must submit an annual report containing information detailed in Schedule Part 1, due within one month of the first and every subsequent anniversary of their accreditation taking effect.

This report must cover the provider itself and any other ADR provider with which it has special ADR arrangements.

The report must be sent to the ADR authority on a durable medium and published on the provider's website for consumers.

Providers must also promptly notify the ADR authority, on a durable medium, of any changes to the operational information specified in Schedule Part 2 that originated from their initial accreditation application or earlier submissions, again covering themselves and related providers under special arrangements.

Former accredited ADR providers

-(1) A person who has been, but is no longer, an accredited ADR provider and who is not an exempt ADR provider( 5 ) (a 'former accredited ADR provider'), must, within a month of the date on which the accreditation ceases to be in force, provide a report which contains the information in Part 1 of the Schedule.

(2) The information in the report must be provided in relation to-

(a) the former accredited ADR provider; and
(b) any ADR provider with whom the former accredited ADR provider made special ADR arrangements.

(3) The information in the report must relate to the period-

(a) from the end of any preceding report up to the date on which the accreditation ceases to be in force; or
(b) if there is no preceding report, from the date on which accreditation takes effect up to the date on which the accreditation ceases to be in force.

(4) The report must be provided to-

(a) the ADR authority in writing on a durable medium; and
(b) consumers by publishing it on the former accredited ADR provider's website, if any.

A provider whose accreditation has ended, provided they are not covered by an exemption, is classified as a 'former accredited ADR provider.' This entity must submit a final report containing the data specified in Schedule Part 1 within one month after losing accreditation.

This final report must cover either the period since the last report or, if no previous report existed, the entire duration of its accreditation, up to the cessation date.

The final report must reach the ADR authority on a durable medium and be published on the provider's website, if available.

Exempt ADR providers

-(1) Exempt ADR providers must provide the information in Parts 1 and 2 of the Schedule to the ADR authority to the extent such information-

(a) is also provided to a regulator; and
(b) relates to consumer contract disputes( 6 ).

(2) The information must be provided in relation to-

(a) the exempt ADR provider; and
(b) any person with whom the exempt ADR provider made special ADR arrangements.

(3) The information must be provided-

(a) in the manner in which it is provided to the regulator; and
(b) within a month of it being provided to the regulator.

(4) In this regulation-

'regulator' means a person who has responsibility for, or oversight of, an area of activity by virtue of any legislation.

Exempt ADR providers are required to send the information listed in both Parts 1 and 2 of the Schedule to the ADR authority, but only if that information pertains to consumer contract disputes and is already supplied to a statutory regulator.

The submission must cover the exempt provider and any related parties linked by special ADR arrangements.

The rules dictate that the information must be sent to the ADR authority using the exact same method used for the regulator, and this must happen within one month of the submission to that regulator.

A 'regulator' is defined here as any body with oversight over a sector based on existing legislation.

Schedule

Information

Part 1 Reporting requirements

The information required by regulations 3(1), 4(1) and 5(1) is-
(a) the number of requests for ADR( 7 ) received;
(b) the number and percentage of such requests that were-
(i) accepted for ADR resolution;
(ii) not accepted for ADR resolution and the grounds for refusal;
(iii) resolved through ADR;
(iv) discontinued before ADR resolution was reached and, if known, the reasons for the discontinuation;
(v) resolved in favour of the consumer; and
(vi) resolved in favour of the trader;
(c) the number and percentage of requests for ADR categorised according to-
(i) the legislation alleged to have been breached; and
(ii) the type of complaint;
(d) the number and percentage of requests accepted for ADR resolution categorised according to the kind of ADR carried out;
(e) the average time taken to resolve consumer contract disputes calculated-
(i) from the date the ADR request was made to the information provider to the date of resolution; and
(ii) from the date the request was accepted for ADR resolution to the date of resolution;
(f) where known, the rate of compliance with the outcomes of ADR or any other actions agreed before ADR resolution was reached;
(g) where the information provider has made special ADR arrangements-
(i) the type of ADR conducted under such arrangements; and
(ii) the number of ADR providers engaged;
(h) based on the information provider's experience-
(i) a description of any recurring systemic or substantive issues that commonly cause disputes between consumers and traders; and
(ii) any recommendations for avoiding or resolving such issues in the future;
(i) an assessment of the effectiveness of the ADR offered and any suggestions for improvements;
(j) any information on trader and consumer confidence in, and satisfaction with-
(i) the information provider; and
(ii) any ADR providers engaged under special ADR arrangements;

Regulations 3 to 5

(k) information on any training provided to persons engaged by the information provider to carry out ADR; and
(l) any other information that the information provider considers relevant.

In this Part of this Schedule-

'information provider' means-

(a) an accredited ADR provider;
(b) a person who has been, but is no longer, an accredited ADR provider; or
(c) an exempt ADR provider.

Schedule Part 1 specifies the extensive data required for annual reporting by accredited, former accredited, and exempt providers (the 'information provider').

This includes key quantitative metrics like the total number of ADR requests received, acceptance/refusal rates (with refusal grounds), resolution figures (specifying outcomes favorable to the consumer or trader), and discontinuation reasons.

Further requirements mandate categorization by the alleged breached legislation and complaint type, calculation of average resolution times, assessment of compliance with outcomes, details on special arrangements, identification of recurring systemic issues with recommendations, and satisfaction surveys.

The information must cover data related to the provider itself and any parties involved under special arrangements.

Part 2 Information updates

The information required by regulations 3(4) and 5(1) is-
(a) the name, contact details and website address of the ADR provider;
(b) the kinds of ADR carried out, including the possible outcomes of each kind;
(c) the types of consumer contract disputes the ADR provider deals with;
(d) the sectors and categories of consumer contract disputes covered by the ADR provider;
(e) the procedures, rules, requirements or practices relating to the carrying out of ADR, including-
(i) any time limits for referring disputes for ADR;
(ii) any conditions or other requirements to be met by either (or both) of the parties before, or while, ADR is being carried out; and
(iii) whether ADR can be conducted orally or in writing;
(f) the fees or costs payable by either party to a consumer contract dispute that is referred for ADR;
(g) the language in which consumer contract disputes can be submitted to the ADR provider and in which ADR can be carried out;
(h) whether the outcome of ADR is binding;
(i) the grounds on which the ADR provider may refuse to deal with a given consumer contract dispute; and
(j) the process for handling complaints.

Schedule Part 2 lists the operational and procedural details that accredited and exempt providers must update upon material change, as required by Regulation 3(4) and 5(1).

This includes basic identification data like contact details and the website. It also requires outlining the specific types of ADR offered, the resulting outcomes, the scope of consumer contract disputes handled (including sectors), and the precise procedures involved.

These procedures cover time limits, preconditions for participation, the format (oral/written), associated fees, language availability, whether the final decision is binding, grounds for refusal, and the internal complaint handling process.

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