Guidance

DSIT accessibility statement for official statistics

Published 14 December 2023

© Crown copyright 2023

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dsit-standards-for-official-statistics/dsit-accessibility-statement-for-official-statistics

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is committed to making its statistical outputs accessible to all users. 

All statistical outputs produced by DSIT are required to comply with The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 legislation, which came into force on 23 September 2020. Adjustments have been made, both by DSIT and its predecessor departments, to improve the accessibility of statistical outputs published from 23 September 2020. DSIT will continue to review all publications to ensure that they are fully compliant with the legislation.

DSIT wants as many people as possible to be able to use our websites. 

This includes enabling users to: 

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts 

  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard or using speech recognition software 

We have tried to make text easy to understand but do use legal and technical language where necessary. AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. 

Many publications produced by DSIT are published as hypertext mark-up language (HTML) pages (using Government Digital Service templates for GOV.UK) or in an accessible portable document format (PDF), in place of older, less accessible formats. 

DSIT follows the Government Statistical Service’s (GSS) releasing statistics in spreadsheets guidance, making all: 

  • published spreadsheets available in a non-proprietary open format such as comma-separate values (CSV) 

  • published statistic tables available in open source open document spreadsheet (ODS) formats linked directly to the relevant tables within the publication 

This helps to ensure that the department’s statistical outputs are accessible, while continuing to meet the statistical needs of our users. 

Whilst we appreciate there may be some interest to users of historical versions of publications, the latest editions are usually the most popular and relevant to users, so we are prioritising these accordingly. 

In line with legislation, DSIT will provide a specific statistical publication in a different format if requested. If you require a document in an alternative format such as audio, braille or large print, please contact the responsible statistician using the contact email addresses and telephone numbers included within the statistical release or provided on the accompanying statistical press release. Other enquiries regarding the contents of a specific release should be addressed to the responsible statistician for that release. 

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (in Great Britain) and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (in Northern Ireland) are responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations. If you are unsatisfied with your response from DSIT, you may contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

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