Miscellaneous Arrangements for the investigation of complaints Complaints Commissioner: annual report
The Act also strengthens the current reporting arrangements contained in the FSA 2012, to increase the transparency of regulator responses to Complaints Commissioner recommendations.
	The Complaints Commissioner is required by the FSA 2012 to prepare an annual report on its investigations under the complaints scheme, which is subsequently published and sent to the regulators and HM Treasury. The report must set out various matters including information about trends in complaints, recommendations for how the regulators can improve, and a review of the effectiveness of the regulators’ complaints processes.
	Section 76 requires the FCA, the PRA and the Bank to respond to any recommendations or criticisms relating to them in the Complaints Commissioner’s annual report and to publish their responses, and send copies to the Complaints Commissioner and HM Treasury. HM Treasury is required to lay the annual report and, and the regulators’ responses, before Parliament.
	The Act gives HM Treasury a power to direct the Complaints Commissioner to include additional matters which are relevant to the complaints scheme in their annual report. This is similar to the existing powers of HM Treasury under FSMA 2000, which allow it to direct the FCA and the PRA to include specified matters in their annual reports.
	This is intended to ensure that the Complaints Commissioner’s annual report can be required to include emerging policy issues that the government believes are important to support scrutiny of the regulators.
	The Act also requires the regulators to include a summary of where they have decided not to comply with Complaints Commissioner recommendations on individual cases during the previous year as part of their response to the Complaints Commissioner’s annual report. This is intended to drive greater overall accountability of the regulators, along with other measures introduced by the Act, by increasing transparency around the regulators’ decisions and actions.