CMA Draft Annual Plan consultation 2025 to 2026

Darllen yr ymgynghoriad hwn yn Gymraeg

How to respond

When responding, please state whether you are responding as an individual or representing the views of an organisation.

Responses should be submitted in writing by 31 January 2025 at the latest.

The CMA will undertake stakeholder engagement across the UK during the consultation period – particularly across the business, investor and consumer advocacy communities.

After the consultation

We will consider all responses and publish a final version of the annual plan by the end of March 2025. We will publish a summary of responses and feedback received through our stakeholder engagement. Publication of this summary will happen within the timescales set out in the Cabinet Office Consultation Principles (read below). We may also publish non-confidential versions of received responses.

Compliance with the Cabinet Office Consultation Principles

This consultation is compliant with the latest Cabinet Office Consultation Principles. The Cabinet Office Consultation Principles criteria can be found on the consultation principles guidance page.

Data Protection and confidentiality

Any personal data that you supply will be processed by us in line with data protection legislation. We will only retain and use your personal data for the purposes of our work (to ensure that we take your response into account) and we will then securely delete it. We will not share your personal data with any third party. For more information about how the CMA processes personal data, please see our Privacy Notice.

We will summarise all responses and publish a summary of responses received. The summary will include a list of organisations that responded, but not people’s names, addresses, or other contact details. Before publishing information, we will have regard to any restrictions placed on us by the law (for example, regarding confidential information). If you consider that your response contains information which is commercially sensitive or confidential for some other reason, please identify it, mark it as commercially sensitive or confidential and explain why.

Read Transparency and Disclosure: Statement of the CMA’s policy and approach (CMA6)

Unless an exemption applies, we may disclose the fact that you have provided information to us, and the information you have provided, in accordance with our obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

Questions

All consultation questions are set out at the end of the relevant section of this draft Annual Plan.

Competition and Consumer Protection to drive economic growth, opportunity, and prosperity for the UK 

• in which sectors or markets are pro-competitive interventions most needed to unlock long-term growth and prosperity
• how could the CMA use our statutory functions most effectively to help realise these opportunities
• how can the power of competition, and the work of the CMA, be most effectively applied in support of the UK government’s Industrial Strategy

Updating our Strategic and Annual Plan 

• do you agree with the CMA’s proposed Medium-Term Priorities and Areas of Focus for 2025 to 2026
• are there any other areas that we should prioritise during 2025 to 2026
• what medium to long-term trends or forces should we consider as we review our strategy

Evolving the way we work 

• What aspects of the CMA’s processes do you believe work well? What areas do you believe need improving, and how
• do you see opportunities for the CMA to further strengthen the proportionality, predictability, procedural effectiveness, and pace of our work, consistent with meeting our statutory obligations
• what relevant examples of international best practice in merger control, competition enforcement or other areas could we learn from (bearing in mind legal and operational differences in regimes around the world)
• what options should we consider as we monitor, evidence, and report on our positive impact on economic growth, including in our Annual Report and Accounts