Statement on spreadsheet accessibility policy
Updated 23 January 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-official-statistics-published-by-the-department-for-transport/statement-on-spreadsheet-accessibility-policy
This policy was published on 14 January 2022.
Scope and policy
This document sets out the department’s approach to making statistical data tables in spreadsheets accessible for all statistics at DfT. This policy should be read in addition to the department’s accessible documents policy, which sets out that documents should be accessible if they are published after 23 September 2018.
Schedule of upcoming changes
By the end of 2022, the department aims to make the latest published version of each statistical data table accessible (except those that are rarely used).
The department will prioritise making the most used tables accessible first. After this priority work, the department will consider an approach for those tables which are used less frequently.
Historic versions of tables
In line with the approach outline above, the department intends to ensure the latest published version of each statistical data table are accessible. The department has reviewed the cost of revising all the statistics spreadsheets that were already published since 23 September 2018 up to the publication of this policy to make them accessible, and believes this process would be a disproportionate burden to the department. The information presented in these historic tables will generally be superseded by statistics tables published going forward. Therefore, the department will work to make all upcoming statistics spreadsheets accessible.
Where spreadsheets are not accessible, users can still contact the relevant statistics team to request an accessible version. Details of how to contact the teams to request accessible versions will be made available on the statistical pages. We will consider each request but may not be able to provide an alternative accessible format on every occasion.
We welcome any feedback from users on the policy on spreadsheet accessibility. If you have feedback, please contact us.