Accessible documents policy

This policy explains how accessible the documents that the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) publishes on GOV.UK are.

Accessible documents at the Government Actuary’s Department

This policy explains how accessible the documents that the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) publishes on GOV.UK are. It covers PDFs, spreadsheets and other types of documents. It does not cover content published on GOV.UK as HTML: the main GOV.UK accessibility statement covers that.

Using our documents

GAD publishes documents in a range of formats, including PDF, Excel and CSV.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use those documents. For example, when we produce a document, we make sure to:

  • provide a standard webpage (HTML) option where possible
  • tag headings and other parts of the document properly, so screen readers can understand the page structure
  • include alt text alongside non-decorative images, so people who cannot see them can understand what they’re there for
  • avoid using tables, except when we’re presenting data
  • use plain English whenever possible

How accessible our documents are

New documents we publish should be fully accessible, except where this would be a disproportionate burden on our internal resources.

However, we know that some of our older documents (published before 23 September 2018) are not accessible. For example, some of them:

  • aren’t tagged up properly - for example, they don’t contain proper headings
  • are not written in plain English

This applies to our PDFs and other documents. These types of documents are exempt from the regulations, so we do not currently have plans to make these documents accessible.

However, if you need to access information in them, you can contact us and ask for an alternative format.

What to do if you cannot use one of our documents

If you need a document which we’ve published in a different format:

  • email: enquiries@gad.gov.uk
  • write to: GAD Enquiries Team, Government Actuary’s Department, 6th Floor, 10 South Colonnade, London, E14 4PU

We’ll consider the request and get back to you in 20 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with one of our documents

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or you think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us at: enquiries@gad.gov.uk.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service.

Technical information about the accessibility of our documents

GAD is committed to making our documents accessible, in accordance with the accessibility regulations.

The documents GAD publishes are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Disproportionate burden

Some of our documents are not accessible but it would be a disproportionate burden to our internal resources in order to update these, particularly where this is not needed. Please let us know through the contact details above if you need an alternative version.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. We don’t plan to fix these. It means that some documents therefore fail to meet success criteria for perception and navigation standards of the WCAG 2.1.

Any new documents (including Excel, CSV and PDF) which we publish, will meet accessibility standards except where this would be a disproportionate burden on our internal resources.

How we tested our documents

We tested a sample of our documents in September 2020. The test was carried out by GAD’s GOV.UK content team.

We tested:

  • PDF documents
  • Microsoft Excel documents
  • non-decorative images in HTML documents

We decided to test these types of document because, apart from the standard HTML web pages, these are the document formats which are most commonly published by GAD.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We are going to ensure all future documents are published in accessible formats where possible, except where this would be a disproportionate burden on our internal resources.

This page was prepared on 22 September 2020. It was last updated on 5 July 2023.

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