Accessible documents policy
This policy explains how accessible the documents the Independent Reconfiguration Panel publishes on GOV.UK are.
This policy does not cover content published on GOV.UK as HTML which is covered by the main GOV.UK accessibility statement.
Using our documents
The Independent Reconfiguration Panel publishes documents in a range of formats, including PDF and Word.
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 an HTML option where possible
- tag headings and other parts of the document properly, so screen readers can understand the page structure
- make sure we include alt text alongside non-decorative images, so people who cannot see them understand what they’re there for
- avoid using tables, except when we’re presenting data
- write in plain English
How accessible our documents are
New documents we publish and documents you need to download or fill in to access one of the services we provide should be fully accessible.
However, we know that some of our older documents are not accessible.
For example, some of them:
- are not marked up in a way that allows screen reader users to understand them
- are not tagged up properly - for example, they do not contain proper headings
- are not written in plain English
This mostly applies to our documents published before 23 September 2018 and are not used for active administrative purposes. These type of documents are exempt from the regulations, so we do not currently have any plans to make them accessible.
But if you need to access information in one of these document types, 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 we’ve published in a different format email irpinfo@dhsc.gov.uk.
Reporting accessibility problems with one of our documents
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems not listed on this page or you think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact irpinfo@dhsc.gov.uk.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) 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 (EASS).
Technical information about the accessibility of our documents
The Independent Reconfiguration Panel is committed to making our documents accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
The documents the Independent Reconfiguration Panel publishes are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be structured so they’re accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.
How we tested our documents
We last tested a sample of our documents during May and June 2022, including Word, PDFs and OpenDocument.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
The Independent Reconfiguration Panel is improving accessibility by creating documents as HTML rather than PDF where possible and converting existing documents to HTML content.
Any new documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
This page was prepared on 17 June 2022.