<!DOCTYPE html> <html class="govuk-template" lang="en">  <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("http://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("https://www.gov.uk/help/accessibility-statement","20230307214137","http://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1678225297"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta property="og:description" content="This statement applies to content published on the www.gov.uk domain. It does not apply to content on service.gov.uk subdomains (for example, www.registertovote.service.gov.uk)"> <meta property="og:title" content="Accessibility statement"> <meta property="og:url" content="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help/accessibility-statement"> <meta property="og:type" content="article"> <meta property="og:site_name" content="GOV.UK"> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"> <meta name="description" content="This statement applies to content published on the www.gov.uk domain. It does not apply to content on service.gov.uk subdomains (for example, www.registertovote.service.gov.uk)"> <meta name="govuk:analytics:organisations" content="<OT1056>"> <meta name="govuk:primary-publishing-organisation" content="Government Digital Service"> <meta name="govuk:public-updated-at" content="2023-01-04T11:21:11.000+00:00"> <meta name="govuk:updated-at" content="2023-01-04T11:21:12.011Z"> <meta name="govuk:first-published-at" content="2019-09-23T17:16:37.000+00:00"> <meta name="govuk:content-has-history" content="true"> <meta name="govuk:content-id" content="5d840d8b-801d-4012-a3f5-e64db28af5a7"> <meta name="govuk:schema-name" content="help_page"> <meta name="govuk:rendering-app" content="government-frontend"> <meta name="govuk:publishing-app" content="publisher"> <meta name="govuk:format" content="help_page"> <meta charset="utf-8"> <title lang="en"> Accessibility statement - GOV.UK </title> <script src="/web/20230307214137js_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/govuk_publishing_components/vendor/lux/lux-measurer-505eef3e243b1d08ea7c4b945ebe1ae146d896db61366e415b30cc1bcd84cbdc.js" async="async"></script> <script src="/web/20230307214137js_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/govuk_publishing_components/rum-loader-c53469dcb841d7b228c914a2e8bdcf3b831a578adf7d4f21cf9da5b85df7381e.js" async="async" data-lux-reporter-script="/assets/static/govuk_publishing_components/vendor/lux/lux-reporter-be0039fdd1e43d48c5c981634351f34f50993d255262daf23812d717cfe117ce.js"></script> <meta name="govuk:components_gem_version" content="34.12.0"> <script src="/web/20230307214137js_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/govuk_publishing_components/load-analytics-ae557f9f2749c284fc31a3b1937c607532ab793fb9ca779963ea017ac7bdb042.js"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20230307214137cs_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/application-6c682d78f730e9d6d583385acaa1e2d3d2fe18d464ee410459f02bf254adba0f.css" media="all">  <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/web/20230307214137im_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/favicon-9ed7849c462c53aa2cdf1690eb257e801ecbf5696d1d0928868c5b032b4adb36.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="mask-icon" href="/web/20230307214137im_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/govuk-mask-icon-a409a4db4a5e72c99ae3916653710064c43eb4be35821f79c07c5156e7dc5808.svg" color="#0b0c0c"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/web/20230307214137im_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/govuk-apple-touch-icon-180x180-026deaa34fa328ae5f1f519a37dbd15e6555c5086e1ba83986cd0827a7209902.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="167x167" href="/web/20230307214137im_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/govuk-apple-touch-icon-167x167-a44a5b317f51a61950697fbe6c61ffe3b5acdd89de60ef70429daa32881d5279.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152" href="/web/20230307214137im_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/govuk-apple-touch-icon-152x152-828a839e5c83de19f98014eef54cec77aa11063a23ce321970d6f9310eeabb6c.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/web/20230307214137im_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/govuk-apple-touch-icon-5f801db05920bd1eb2b27a7a90328599bb16b6344c3213795af0f20d3ca179b0.png"> <meta name="theme-color" content="#0b0c0c"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <meta property="og:image" content="/web/20230307214137im_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/govuk-opengraph-image-dade2dad5775023b0568381c4c074b86318194edb36d3d68df721eea7deeac4b.png"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20230307214137cs_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/government-frontend/application-36c3129e326ed60f46699aebe405adf56ef6fbffe8b6c6f89d7e0bf2776f8258.css" media="all"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20230307214137cs_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/government-frontend/print-1cb9ea3f196206dc6639481a61e767fa723f13710f8ab34c9a7b920f5ea21a19.css" media="print"> <link rel="canonical" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help/accessibility-statement"> <meta name="govuk:rendering-application" content="government-frontend"> </head> <body class="gem-c-layout-for-public govuk-template__body"> <script nonce="/1nowjjS18/nLdAV3mUa/A=="> //<![CDATA[ document.body.className = ((document.body.className) ? document.body.className + ' js-enabled' : 'js-enabled'); //]]> </script> <a class="gem-c-skip-link govuk-skip-link govuk-!-display-none-print" data-module="govuk-skip-link" href="#content">Skip to main content</a> <div id="global-cookie-message" class="gem-c-cookie-banner govuk-clearfix" data-module="cookie-banner" data-nosnippet role="region" aria-label="Cookies on GOV.UK"> <div class="govuk-cookie-banner js-banner-wrapper"> <div class="gem-c-cookie-banner__message govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container"> <div class="govuk-grid-row"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds"> <h2 class="govuk-cookie-banner__heading govuk-heading-m">Cookies on GOV.UK</h2> <div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content"> <p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this website work.</p> <p class="govuk-body">We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.</p> <p class="govuk-body">We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="govuk-button-group"> <button class="gem-c-button govuk-button" type="submit" data-module="gem-track-click" data-accept-cookies="true" data-track-category="cookieBanner" data-track-action="Cookie banner accepted" data-cookie-types="all">Accept additional cookies</button> <button class="gem-c-button govuk-button" type="submit" data-module="gem-track-click" data-reject-cookies="true" data-track-category="cookieBanner" data-track-action="Cookie banner rejected">Reject additional cookies</button> <a class="govuk-link" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help/cookies">View cookies</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gem-c-cookie-banner__confirmation govuk-width-container" tabindex="-1" hidden> <p class="gem-c-cookie-banner__confirmation-message" role="alert"> <span class="gem-c-cookie-banner__confirmation-message__accepted" hidden>You have accepted additional cookies. </span> <span class="gem-c-cookie-banner__confirmation-message__rejected" hidden>You have rejected additional cookies. </span> You can <a class="govuk-link" data-module="gem-track-click" data-track-category="cookieBanner" data-track-action="Cookie banner settings clicked from confirmation" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help/cookies">change your cookie settings</a> at any time. </p> <div class="govuk-button-group"> <button class="gem-c-cookie-banner__hide-button govuk-button" data-hide-cookie-banner="true" data-module="gem-track-click" data-track-category="cookieBanner" data-track-action="Hide cookie banner">Hide this message</button> </div> </div> </div> <header role="banner" class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header" data-module="gem-track-click ga4-event-tracker ga4-link-tracker" data-track-links-only data-ga4-expandable> <div class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__container govuk-clearfix"> <div class="govuk-width-container"> <div class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__header-logo"> <a class="govuk-header__link govuk-header__link--homepage" data-track-action="logoLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="https://www.gov.uk" data-track-dimension="GOV.UK" data-track-dimension-index="29" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/" id="logo" title="Go to the GOV.UK homepage" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","external":"false","text":"GOV.UK","section":"Logo","index":0,"index_total":29}"> <span class="govuk-header__logotype">  <svg aria-hidden="true" class="govuk-header__logotype-crown gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__logotype-crown" focusable="false" height="30" viewbox="0 0 132 97" width="36" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <path d="M25 30.2c3.5 1.5 7.7-.2 9.1-3.7 1.5-3.6-.2-7.8-3.9-9.2-3.6-1.4-7.6.3-9.1 3.9-1.4 3.5.3 7.5 3.9 9zM9 39.5c3.6 1.5 7.8-.2 9.2-3.7 1.5-3.6-.2-7.8-3.9-9.1-3.6-1.5-7.6.2-9.1 3.8-1.4 3.5.3 7.5 3.8 9zM4.4 57.2c3.5 1.5 7.7-.2 9.1-3.8 1.5-3.6-.2-7.7-3.9-9.1-3.5-1.5-7.6.3-9.1 3.8-1.4 3.5.3 7.6 3.9 9.1zm38.3-21.4c3.5 1.5 7.7-.2 9.1-3.8 1.5-3.6-.2-7.7-3.9-9.1-3.6-1.5-7.6.3-9.1 3.8-1.3 3.6.4 7.7 3.9 9.1zm64.4-5.6c-3.6 1.5-7.8-.2-9.1-3.7-1.5-3.6.2-7.8 3.8-9.2 3.6-1.4 7.7.3 9.2 3.9 1.3 3.5-.4 7.5-3.9 9zm15.9 9.3c-3.6 1.5-7.7-.2-9.1-3.7-1.5-3.6.2-7.8 3.7-9.1 3.6-1.5 7.7.2 9.2 3.8 1.5 3.5-.3 7.5-3.8 9zm4.7 17.7c-3.6 1.5-7.8-.2-9.2-3.8-1.5-3.6.2-7.7 3.9-9.1 3.6-1.5 7.7.3 9.2 3.8 1.3 3.5-.4 7.6-3.9 9.1zM89.3 35.8c-3.6 1.5-7.8-.2-9.2-3.8-1.4-3.6.2-7.7 3.9-9.1 3.6-1.5 7.7.3 9.2 3.8 1.4 3.6-.3 7.7-3.9 9.1zM69.7 17.7l8.9 4.7V9.3l-8.9 2.8c-.2-.3-.5-.6-.9-.9L72.4 0H59.6l3.5 11.2c-.3.3-.6.5-.9.9l-8.8-2.8v13.1l8.8-4.7c.3.3.6.7.9.9l-5 15.4v.1c-.2.8-.4 1.6-.4 2.4 0 4.1 3.1 7.5 7 8.1h.2c.3 0 .7.1 1 .1.4 0 .7 0 1-.1h.2c4-.6 7.1-4.1 7.1-8.1 0-.8-.1-1.7-.4-2.4V34l-5.1-15.4c.4-.2.7-.6 1-.9zM66 92.8c16.9 0 32.8 1.1 47.1 3.2 4-16.9 8.9-26.7 14-33.5l-9.6-3.4c1 4.9 1.1 7.2 0 10.2-1.5-1.4-3-4.3-4.2-8.7L108.6 76c2.8-2 5-3.2 7.5-3.3-4.4 9.4-10 11.9-13.6 11.2-4.3-.8-6.3-4.6-5.6-7.9 1-4.7 5.7-5.9 8-.5 4.3-8.7-3-11.4-7.6-8.8 7.1-7.2 7.9-13.5 2.1-21.1-8 6.1-8.1 12.3-4.5 20.8-4.7-5.4-12.1-2.5-9.5 6.2 3.4-5.2 7.9-2 7.2 3.1-.6 4.3-6.4 7.8-13.5 7.2-10.3-.9-10.9-8-11.2-13.8 2.5-.5 7.1 1.8 11 7.3L80.2 60c-4.1 4.4-8 5.3-12.3 5.4 1.4-4.4 8-11.6 8-11.6H55.5s6.4 7.2 7.9 11.6c-4.2-.1-8-1-12.3-5.4l1.4 16.4c3.9-5.5 8.5-7.7 10.9-7.3-.3 5.8-.9 12.8-11.1 13.8-7.2.6-12.9-2.9-13.5-7.2-.7-5 3.8-8.3 7.1-3.1 2.7-8.7-4.6-11.6-9.4-6.2 3.7-8.5 3.6-14.7-4.6-20.8-5.8 7.6-5 13.9 2.2 21.1-4.7-2.6-11.9.1-7.7 8.8 2.3-5.5 7.1-4.2 8.1.5.7 3.3-1.3 7.1-5.7 7.9-3.5.7-9-1.8-13.5-11.2 2.5.1 4.7 1.3 7.5 3.3l-4.7-15.4c-1.2 4.4-2.7 7.2-4.3 8.7-1.1-3-.9-5.3 0-10.2l-9.5 3.4c5 6.9 9.9 16.7 14 33.5 14.8-2.1 30.8-3.2 47.7-3.2z" fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd"> </path> </svg>   <span class="govuk-header__logotype-text"> GOV.UK </span> </span> </a> </div> </div> <nav aria-labelledby="super-navigation-menu-heading" class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__content" data-module="super-navigation-mega-menu"> <h2 id="super-navigation-menu-heading" class="govuk-visually-hidden"> Navigation menu </h2> <div class="govuk-width-container gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__button-width-container"> <div class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__button-container"> <div class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-item"> <a class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-item-link" data-track-action="menuLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse" data-track-dimension="Menu" data-track-dimension-index="29" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse"> <span class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-item-link-inner"> Menu </span> </a> <button aria-controls="super-navigation-menu-2664db11" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Show navigation menu" class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-top-toggle-button" data-text-for-hide="Hide navigation menu" data-text-for-show="Show navigation menu" data-toggle-desktop-group="top" data-toggle-mobile-group="top" data-tracking-key="menu" data-ga4-event="{"event_name":"select_content","type":"header menu bar","text":"Menu","index":1,"index_total":2,"section":"Menu"}" hidden="hidden" id="super-navigation-menu-2664db11-toggle" type="button"> <span class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-top-toggle-button-inner">Menu</span> </button> </div> <div class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__search-item"> <button aria-controls="super-search-menu" aria-expanded="true" aria-label="Hide search menu" class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__search-toggle-button" data-text-for-hide="Hide search menu" data-text-for-show="Show search menu" data-toggle-mobile-group="top" data-toggle-desktop-group="top" data-tracking-key="search" hidden id="super-search-menu-toggle" type="button" data-ga4-event="{"event_name":"select_content","type":"header menu bar","text":"Search","index":2,"index_total":2,"section":"Search"}"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden"> Search GOV.UK </span> <svg class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__search-toggle-button-link-icon" width="27" height="27" viewbox="0 0 27 27" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"> <circle cx="12.0161" cy="11.0161" r="8.51613" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="3"></circle> <line x1="17.8668" y1="17.3587" x2="26.4475" y2="25.9393" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="3"></line> </svg> <span aria-hidden="true" class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-top-toggle-close-icon" focusable="false"> × </span> </button> <a class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__search-item-link" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search"> <span class="govuk-visually-hidden"> Search GOV.UK </span> <svg class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__search-item-link-icon" width="27" height="27" viewbox="0 0 27 27" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"> <circle cx="12.0161" cy="11.0161" r="8.51613" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="3"></circle> <line x1="17.8668" y1="17.3587" x2="26.4475" y2="25.9393" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="3"></line> </svg> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div id="super-navigation-menu-2664db11" hidden class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-dropdown-menu"> <div class="govuk-width-container"> <div class="govuk-grid-row gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-items"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds-from-desktop gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__column--topics"> <h3 class="govuk-heading-m gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__column-header"> Topics </h3> <ul class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-items gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-items--topics"> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/benefits" data-track-dimension="Benefits" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.1","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits">Benefits</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/births-deaths-marriages" data-track-dimension="Births, death, marriages and care" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.2","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/births-deaths-marriages">Births, death, marriages and care</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/business" data-track-dimension="Business and self-employed" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.3","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/business">Business and self-employed</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/childcare-parenting" data-track-dimension="Childcare and parenting" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.4","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/childcare-parenting">Childcare and parenting</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/citizenship" data-track-dimension="Citizenship and living in the UK" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.5","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship">Citizenship and living in the UK</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/cost-of-living" data-track-dimension="Cost of living support" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.6","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/cost-of-living">Cost of living support</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/justice" data-track-dimension="Crime, justice and the law" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.7","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/justice">Crime, justice and the law</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/disabilities" data-track-dimension="Disabled people" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.8","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/disabilities">Disabled people</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/driving" data-track-dimension="Driving and transport" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.9","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving">Driving and transport</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/education" data-track-dimension="Education and learning" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.10","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/education">Education and learning</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/employing-people" data-track-dimension="Employing people" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.11","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/employing-people">Employing people</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/environment-countryside" data-track-dimension="Environment and countryside" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.12","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/environment-countryside">Environment and countryside</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/housing-local-services" data-track-dimension="Housing and local services" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.13","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/housing-local-services">Housing and local services</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/tax" data-track-dimension="Money and tax" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.14","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/tax">Money and tax</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/abroad" data-track-dimension="Passports, travel and living abroad" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.15","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/abroad">Passports, travel and living abroad</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/visas-immigration" data-track-dimension="Visas and immigration" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.16","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration">Visas and immigration</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/browse/working" data-track-dimension="Working, jobs and pensions" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.1.17","index_total":29,"section":"Topics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/working">Working, jobs and pensions</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="govuk-grid-column-one-third-from-desktop gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__column--government-activity"> <h3 class="govuk-heading-m gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__column-header"> Government activity </h3> <ul class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-items gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-items--government-activity"> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link--with-description" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/government/organisations" data-track-dimension="Departments" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.2.1","index_total":29,"section":"Government activity"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations">Departments</a> <p class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-description">Departments, agencies and public bodies</p> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link--with-description" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/search/news-and-communications" data-track-dimension="News" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.2.2","index_total":29,"section":"Government activity"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/news-and-communications">News</a> <p class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-description">News stories, speeches, letters and notices</p> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link--with-description" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/search/guidance-and-regulation" data-track-dimension="Guidance and regulation" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.2.3","index_total":29,"section":"Government activity"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/guidance-and-regulation">Guidance and regulation</a> <p class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-description">Detailed guidance, regulations and rules</p> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link--with-description" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/search/research-and-statistics" data-track-dimension="Research and statistics" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.2.4","index_total":29,"section":"Government activity"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics">Research and statistics</a> <p class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-description">Reports, analysis and official statistics</p> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link--with-description" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/search/policy-papers-and-consultations" data-track-dimension="Policy papers and consultations" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.2.5","index_total":29,"section":"Government activity"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/policy-papers-and-consultations">Policy papers and consultations</a> <p class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-description">Consultations and strategy</p> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__dropdown-list-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-link--with-description" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases" data-track-dimension="Transparency" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"1.2.6","index_total":29,"section":"Government activity"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases">Transparency</a> <p class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-second-item-description">Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports</p> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="super-search-menu" hidden class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__navigation-dropdown-menu"> <div class="govuk-width-container gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__search-container gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__search-items"> <h3 class="govuk-visually-hidden"> Search </h3> <div class="govuk-grid-row"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-full"> <form class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__search-form" id="search" data-module="ga4-form-tracker" data-ga4-form="{ "event_name": "search", "type": "header menu bar", "section": "Search GOV.UK", "action": "Search", "url": "/search/all" }" data-ga4-form-include-text action="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search" method="get" role="search" aria-label="Site-wide"> <div class="gem-c-search govuk-!-display-none-print gem-c-search--large gem-c-search--on-white gem-c-search--separate-label" data-module="gem-toggle-input-class-on-focus"> <label for="search-main-c3ddb48c" class="govuk-label govuk-label--m">Search GOV.UK</label> <div class="gem-c-search__item-wrapper"> <input enterkeyhint="search" class="gem-c-search__item gem-c-search__input js-class-toggle" id="search-main-c3ddb48c" name="q" title="Search" type="search" value=""> <div class="gem-c-search__item gem-c-search__submit-wrapper"> <button class="gem-c-search__submit" type="submit" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-action="searchSubmitted" data-track-label="/search/all" data-track-dimension="Search on GOV.UK" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-module="gem-track-click" enterkeyhint="search"> Search <svg class="gem-c-search__icon" width="27" height="27" viewbox="0 0 27 27" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"> <circle cx="12.0161" cy="11.0161" r="8.51613" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="3"></circle> <line x1="17.8668" y1="17.3587" x2="26.4475" y2="25.9393" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="3"></line> </svg> </button> </div> </div> </div> </form> </div> </div> <div class="govuk-grid-row"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-full"> <h3 class="govuk-heading-m">Popular on GOV.UK</h3> <ul class="govuk-list"> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__popular-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__popular-link" data-track-action="popularLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/check-benefits-financial-support" data-track-dimension="Check benefits and financial support you can get" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"2.2.1","index_total":29,"section":"Popular on GOV.UK"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/check-benefits-financial-support">Check benefits and financial support you can get</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__popular-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__popular-link" data-track-action="popularLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/guidance/getting-the-energy-bills-support-scheme-discount" data-track-dimension="Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"2.2.2","index_total":29,"section":"Popular on GOV.UK"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/guidance/getting-the-energy-bills-support-scheme-discount">Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__popular-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__popular-link" data-track-action="popularLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/find-a-job" data-track-dimension="Find a job" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"2.2.3","index_total":29,"section":"Popular on GOV.UK"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/find-a-job">Find a job</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__popular-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__popular-link" data-track-action="popularLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/coronavirus" data-track-dimension="Coronavirus (COVID-19)" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"2.2.4","index_total":29,"section":"Popular on GOV.UK"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus">Coronavirus (COVID-19)</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__popular-item"> <a class="govuk-link gem-c-layout-super-navigation-header__popular-link" data-track-action="popularLink" data-track-category="headerClicked" data-track-label="/sign-in-universal-credit" data-track-dimension="Universal Credit account: sign in" data-track-dimension-index="29" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"header menu bar","index":"2.2.5","index_total":29,"section":"Popular on GOV.UK"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/sign-in-universal-credit">Universal Credit account: sign in</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </header> <div class="gem-c-layout-for-public__blue-bar govuk-width-container"></div> <div id="wrapper" class="direction-ltr govuk-width-container"> <div class="gem-c-contextual-breadcrumbs"> <div data-module="gem-track-click ga4-link-tracker" class="gem-c-breadcrumbs govuk-breadcrumbs govuk-breadcrumbs--collapse-on-mobile"> <ol class="govuk-breadcrumbs__list"> <li class="govuk-breadcrumbs__list-item"> <a data-track-category="homeLinkClicked" data-track-action="homeBreadcrumb" data-track-label="" data-track-options="{}" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"breadcrumbs","index":{"index_link":"1"},"index_total":"1"}" class="govuk-breadcrumbs__link" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/">Home</a> </li> </ol> </div> </div> <main role="main" id="content" class="help-page" lang="en"> <div class="govuk-grid-row"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds"> <div class="gem-c-title govuk-!-margin-top-8 govuk-!-margin-bottom-8"> <h1 class="gem-c-title__text govuk-heading-xl"> Accessibility statement </h1> </div> </div> </div> <div class="govuk-grid-row"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds"> <div class="responsive-bottom-margin"> <div class="gem-c-govspeak govuk-govspeak direction-ltr disable-youtube" data-module="govspeak"> <p>This statement applies to content published on the www.gov.uk domain. It does not apply to content on service.gov.uk subdomains (for example, www.registertovote.service.gov.uk).</p> <p>This website is run by the Government Digital Service. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. The text should be clear and simple to understand. You should be able to:</p> <ul> <li>zoom in up to 300% without problems</li> <li>navigate most of the website using just a keyboard</li> <li>navigate most of the website using speech recognition software</li> <li>use most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)</li> </ul> <h2 id="how-accessible-this-website-is">How accessible this website is</h2> <p>Parts of this website are not fully accessible. For example:</p> <ul> <li>some pages and document attachments are not written in plain English</li> <li>some tables do not have row headings</li> <li>some documents have poor colour contrast</li> <li>some heading elements are not consistent</li> <li>some images do not have image descriptions</li> <li>some buttons are not correctly identified</li> <li>some error messages are not clearly associated with form controls</li> <li>many documents are in <abbr title="Portable Document Format">PDF</abbr> format and are not accessible</li> </ul> <p>Each department and agency which publishes content on GOV.UK is responsible for making sure it meets the accessibility regulations.</p> <h2 id="govuk-services">GOV.UK services</h2> <p>Each service has its own accessibility page, with details of how accessible the service is, how to report problems and how to request information in an alternative format. You can access these pages from the footer inside the service.</p> <h2 id="feedback-and-contact-information">Feedback and contact information</h2> <p><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/contact/govuk">Tell us if you need information in a different format</a>.</p> <p>In your message, include:</p> <ul> <li>the web address (URL) of the content</li> <li>your email address and name</li> <li>the format you need - for example, plain text, braille, <abbr title="British Sign Language">BSL</abbr>, large print or audio CD</li> </ul> <p>You can request a <abbr title="Portable Document Format">PDF</abbr> in an accessible format from its page. Click ‘Request an accessible format’ to contact the organisation that published the document.</p> <p>You can also view the organisation’s <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/all?parent=&keywords=%22accessible+document+policy%22&level_one_taxon=a544d48b-1e9e-47fb-b427-7a987c658c14&level_two_taxon=&manual=&public_timestamp%5Bfrom%5D=&public_timestamp%5Bto%5D=&topical_events=&order=relevance">accessible document policy</a> to report any problems or request documents in an alternative format.</p> <h2 id="reporting-accessibility-problems-with-this-website">Reporting accessibility problems with this website</h2> <p>If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or you think we’re not meeting the accessibility requirements, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/contact/govuk">contact us</a>.</p> <h2 id="enforcement-procedure">Enforcement procedure</h2> <p>If you contact us with a complaint and you’re not happy with our response <a rel="external" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/">contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (<abbr title="Equality Advisory and Support Service">EASS</abbr>)</a>.</p> <p>The Equality and Human Rights Commission (<abbr title="Equality and Human Rights Commission">EHRC</abbr>) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).</p> <h2 id="technical-information-about-this-websites-accessibility">Technical information about this website’s accessibility</h2> <p>The Government Digital Service is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.</p> <h2 id="compliance-status">Compliance status</h2> <p>This website is partially compliant with the <a rel="external" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1</a> AA standard.</p> <h2 id="non-accessible-content">Non-accessible content</h2> <p>The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.</p> <h3 id="non-compliance-with-the-accessibility-regulations">Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations</h3> <ol> <li>Some tables in content do not have table row headers when needed. This means assistive technologies will not read the tables correctly. This fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).</li> <li>Images on some pages do not always have suitable image descriptions. Users of assistive technologies may not have access to information conveyed in images. This fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).</li> <li>Some pages have duplicate titles. This may make it difficult for users to orient themselves and find the right content. This fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.4.2 success criterion (Page Titled).</li> <li>The change in the default written language is not correctly identified on some pages. This means screen readers will not read content correctly. This fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.1 success criterion 3.1.2 (Language of Parts).</li> <li>Translation Navigation is inconsistently named. This fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.1 success criterion 3.2.4 (Consistent Identification).</li> <li>Some pages cannot be found through more than one type of navigation. This fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.1 success criterion 2.4.5 (Multiple Ways).</li> <li>Some pages have inconsistently-placed language navigation. This fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.1 success criterion 3.2.4 success criterion (Consistent Identification).</li> <li>Some content looks like headings but is not. This makes it difficult for screen reader users to navigate the page. This fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).</li> <li>Some pages have poor colour contrast. This fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.1 success criterion 1.4.1 (Use of Colour).</li> <li>Many documents are in less accessible formats, for example <abbr title="Portable Document Format">PDF</abbr>. Non-HTML documents published on or after 23 September 2018 must have an accessible format.</li> </ol> <h4 id="pdfs-and-non-html-documents">PDFs and non-HTML documents</h4> <p>Many documents are not accessible in a number of ways including missing text alternatives and missing document structure.</p> <p>View the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/all?parent=&keywords=%22accessible+document+policy%22&level_one_taxon=a544d48b-1e9e-47fb-b427-7a987c658c14&level_two_taxon=&manual=&public_timestamp%5Bfrom%5D=&public_timestamp%5Bto%5D=&topical_events=&order=relevance">accessible document policy</a> of the organisation that published the document to report any problems or request documents in an alternative format. If more than one organisation is listed, view the accessible document policy of the first.</p> <h3 id="disproportionate-burden">Disproportionate burden</h3> <p>We believe that fixing the accessibility problems with some content would be disproportionate because the relevant platform will be retired soon.</p> <h4 id="applying-for-licences">Applying for licences</h4> <p>Some of the content used to apply for some types of licence is non-accessible. For example, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/temporary-events-notice">applying for a Temporary Events Notice</a>:</p> <ul> <li>adjacent links to the same pages mean it’s not easy to navigate using keyboard alone - this fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard)</li> <li>some forms controls are not detectable by screen reader software - this fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value)</li> <li>some pages are missing a heading - this fails <abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr> 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships)</li> </ul> <p>The non-accessible content used to apply for some types of licence is published through platforms which we are transitioning to new arrangements. We believe that fixing the problems causing content to be non-accessible on the old platforms would be disproportionate.</p> <h3 id="content-thats-not-within-the-scope-of-the-accessibility-regulations">Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations</h3> <p>Non-HTML documents published before September 2018 do not need to be accessible - unless users need them to use a service.</p> <h2 id="how-we-tested-this-website">How we tested this website</h2> <p>We use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines V2.1 level A and level AA to test how accessible GOV.UK is.</p> <p>We used the Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (<abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr>-EM) approach to decide on a sample of pages to test.</p> <p>We also tested a sample of pages involved in applying for licences.</p> <p>In April 2022, the Digital Accessibility Centre (<abbr title="Digital Accessibility Centre">DAC</abbr>) conducted an audit of a representative sample of pages on GOV.UK, from which common accessibility issues across the website were identified.</p> <h2 id="what-were-doing-to-improve-accessibility">What we’re doing to improve accessibility</h2> <p>Following the audit conducted by the <abbr title="Digital Accessibility Centre">DAC</abbr> in April 2022, departments and agencies are urgently fixing content which fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.</p> <h2 id="preparation-of-this-accessibility-statement">Preparation of this accessibility statement</h2> <div role="note" aria-label="Information" class="application-notice info-notice"> <p>This statement was prepared on 23 September 2019. It was last reviewed on 4 January 2023.</p> </div> </div> <div class="app-c-published-dates" lang="en"> Last updated 4 January 2023 </div> </div> </div> <div class="govuk-grid-column-one-third"> <div class="gem-c-contextual-sidebar"> <div class="gem-c-related-navigation" data-module="gem-track-click ga4-link-tracker"> <h2 id="related-nav-related_items-882f688b" class="gem-c-related-navigation__main-heading" data-track-count="sidebarRelatedItemSection"> Related content </h2> <nav role="navigation" class="gem-c-related-navigation__nav-section" aria-labelledby="related-nav-related_items-882f688b" data-module="gem-toggle"> <ul class="gem-c-related-navigation__link-list"> <li class="gem-c-related-navigation__link"><a class="govuk-link govuk-link gem-c-related-navigation__section-link govuk-link gem-c-related-navigation__section-link--sidebar govuk-link gem-c-related-navigation__section-link--other" data-track-category="relatedLinkClicked" data-track-action="1.1 Related content" data-track-label="/help/terms-conditions" data-track-options="{"dimension28":"2","dimension29":"Terms and conditions"}" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"related content","index":"1.1","section":"Related content"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help/terms-conditions">Terms and conditions</a></li> <li class="gem-c-related-navigation__link"><a class="govuk-link govuk-link gem-c-related-navigation__section-link govuk-link gem-c-related-navigation__section-link--sidebar govuk-link gem-c-related-navigation__section-link--other" data-track-category="relatedLinkClicked" data-track-action="1.2 Related content" data-track-label="/help/about-govuk" data-track-options="{"dimension28":"2","dimension29":"About GOV.UK"}" data-ga4-link="{"event_name":"navigation","type":"related content","index":"1.2","section":"Related content"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help/about-govuk">About GOV.UK</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="govuk-grid-row"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds"> <div class="gem-c-contextual-footer"> </div> </div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="govuk-width-container"> <div class="gem-c-feedback govuk-!-display-none-print" data-module="feedback ga4-event-tracker"> <div class="gem-c-feedback__prompt gem-c-feedback__js-show js-prompt" tabindex="-1"> <div class="gem-c-feedback__prompt-content"> <div class="gem-c-feedback__prompt-questions js-prompt-questions" hidden> <div class="gem-c-feedback__prompt-question-answer"> <h2 class="gem-c-feedback__prompt-question">Is this page useful?</h2> <ul class="gem-c-feedback__option-list"> <li class="gem-c-feedback__option-list-item govuk-visually-hidden" hidden> <a class="gem-c-feedback__prompt-link" data-track-category="yesNoFeedbackForm" data-track-action="ffMaybeClick" role="button" hidden="hidden" aria-hidden="true" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/contact/govuk"> Maybe </a> </li> <li class="gem-c-feedback__option-list-item"> <button class="govuk-button gem-c-feedback__prompt-link js-page-is-useful" data-track-category="yesNoFeedbackForm" data-track-action="ffYesClick" data-ga4-event="{"event_name":"form_submit","type":"feedback","text":"Yes", "section": "Is this page useful?"}"> Yes <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">this page is useful</span> </button> </li> <li class="gem-c-feedback__option-list-item"> <button class="govuk-button gem-c-feedback__prompt-link js-toggle-form js-page-is-not-useful" data-track-category="yesNoFeedbackForm" data-track-action="ffNoClick" aria-controls="page-is-not-useful" aria-expanded="false" data-ga4-event="{"event_name":"form_submit","type":"feedback","text":"No", "section": "Is this page useful?"}"> No <span class="govuk-visually-hidden">this page is not useful</span> </button> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="gem-c-feedback__prompt-questions gem-c-feedback__prompt-success js-prompt-success" role="alert" hidden> Thank you for your feedback </div> <div class="gem-c-feedback__prompt-questions gem-c-feedback__prompt-questions--something-is-wrong js-prompt-questions" hidden> <button class="govuk-button gem-c-feedback__prompt-link js-toggle-form js-something-is-wrong" data-track-category="Onsite Feedback" data-track-action="GOV-UK Open Form" aria-controls="something-is-wrong" aria-expanded="false" data-ga4-event="{"event_name":"form_submit","type":"feedback","text":"Report a problem with this page", "section": "Is this page useful?"}"> Report a problem with this page </button> </div> </div> </div> <form action="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/contact/govuk/problem_reports" id="something-is-wrong" class="gem-c-feedback__form js-feedback-form" data-track-category="Onsite Feedback" data-track-action="GOV.UK Send Form" method="post" hidden> <div class="govuk-grid-row"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds"> <div class="gem-c-feedback__error-summary gem-c-feedback__js-show js-errors" tabindex="-1" hidden></div> <input type="hidden" name="url" value="https://www.gov.uk/help/accessibility-statement"> <h3 class="gem-c-feedback__form-heading">Help us improve GOV.UK</h3> <p id="feedback_explanation" class="gem-c-feedback__form-paragraph">Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.</p> <div class="govuk-visually-hidden" aria-hidden="true"> <label for="giraffe">This field is for robots only. Please leave blank</label> <input id="giraffe" name="giraffe" type="text" pattern=".{0}" tabindex="-1" autocomplete="off"> </div> <div class="gem-c-textarea govuk-form-group govuk-!-margin-bottom-6"> <label for="textarea-328c730f" class="gem-c-label govuk-label">What were you doing?</label> <textarea name="what_doing" class="govuk-textarea" id="textarea-328c730f" rows="3" spellcheck="true" aria-describedby="feedback_explanation"> </textarea> </div> <div class="gem-c-textarea govuk-form-group govuk-!-margin-bottom-6"> <label for="textarea-9480cf77" class="gem-c-label govuk-label">What went wrong?</label> <textarea name="what_wrong" class="govuk-textarea" id="textarea-9480cf77" rows="3" spellcheck="true"> </textarea> </div> <button class="gem-c-button govuk-button" type="submit" data-ga4-event="{"event_name":"form_submit","type":"feedback","text":"Send","section":"Help us improve GOV.UK"}">Send</button> <button class="govuk-button govuk-button--secondary gem-c-feedback__close gem-c-feedback__js-show js-close-form" data-track-category="Onsite Feedback" data-track-action="GOV.UK Close Form" aria-controls="something-is-wrong" aria-expanded="true"> Cancel </button> </div> </div> </form> <script nonce="/1nowjjS18/nLdAV3mUa/A=="> //<![CDATA[ document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function () { var input = document.querySelector("#giraffe"), form = document.querySelector("#something-is-wrong") form.addEventListener("submit", spamCapture); function spamCapture(e) { if (input.value.length !== 0) return; e.preventDefault(); } }); //]]> </script> <form action="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/contact/govuk/email-survey-signup" id="page-is-not-useful" class="gem-c-feedback__form gem-c-feedback__form--email gem-c-feedback__js-show js-feedback-form" data-track-category="yesNoFeedbackForm" data-track-action="Send Form" method="post"> <div class="govuk-grid-row"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds" id="survey-wrapper"> <div class="gem-c-feedback__error-summary js-errors" tabindex="-1" hidden></div> <input name="email_survey_signup[survey_id]" type="hidden" value="footer_satisfaction_survey"> <input name="email_survey_signup[survey_source]" type="hidden" value="/help/accessibility-statement"> <h3 class="gem-c-feedback__form-heading">Help us improve GOV.UK</h3> <p id="survey_explanation" class="gem-c-feedback__form-paragraph">To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone.</p> <div class="govuk-form-group"> <label for="input-fffd0f62" class="gem-c-label govuk-label">Email address</label> <input aria-describedby="survey_explanation" autocomplete="email" class="gem-c-input govuk-input" id="input-fffd0f62" name="email_survey_signup[email_address]" spellcheck="false" type="email"> </div> <button class="gem-c-button govuk-button" type="submit" data-ga4-event="{"event_name":"form_submit","type":"feedback","text":"Send me the survey","section":"Help us improve GOV.UK"}">Send me the survey</button> <button class="govuk-button govuk-button--secondary gem-c-feedback__close js-close-form" data-track-category="yesNoFeedbackForm" data-track-action="ffFormClose" aria-controls="page-is-not-useful" aria-expanded="true" hidden> Cancel </button> </div> </div> </form> </div> </div> <footer class="gem-c-layout-footer govuk-footer gem-c-layout-footer--border" role="contentinfo"> <div class="govuk-width-container"> <div class="govuk-footer__navigation" data-module="gem-track-click" data-track-links-only> <div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds govuk-!-display-none-print"> <h2 class="govuk-footer__heading govuk-heading-m">Topics</h2> <ul class="govuk-footer__list govuk-footer__list--columns-2"> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/benefits" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Benefits"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits">Benefits</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/births-deaths-marriages" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Births, death, marriages and care"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/births-deaths-marriages">Births, death, marriages and care</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/business" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Business and self-employed"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/business">Business and self-employed</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/childcare-parenting" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Childcare and parenting"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/childcare-parenting">Childcare and parenting</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/citizenship" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Citizenship and living in the UK"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship">Citizenship and living in the UK</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/cost-of-living" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Cost of living support"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/cost-of-living">Cost of living support</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/justice" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Crime, justice and the law"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/justice">Crime, justice and the law</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/disabilities" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Disabled people"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/disabilities">Disabled people</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/driving" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Driving and transport"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving">Driving and transport</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/education" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Education and learning"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/education">Education and learning</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/employing-people" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Employing people"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/employing-people">Employing people</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/environment-countryside" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Environment and countryside"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/environment-countryside">Environment and countryside</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/housing-local-services" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Housing and local services"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/housing-local-services">Housing and local services</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/tax" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Money and tax"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/tax">Money and tax</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/abroad" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Passports, travel and living abroad"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/abroad">Passports, travel and living abroad</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/visas-immigration" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Visas and immigration"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration">Visas and immigration</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="topicsLink" data-track-label="/browse/working" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Working, jobs and pensions"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/browse/working">Working, jobs and pensions</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="govuk-grid-column-one-third govuk-!-display-none-print"> <h2 class="govuk-footer__heading govuk-heading-m">Government activity</h2> <ul class="govuk-footer__list govuk-footer__list--columns-1"> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-label="/government/organisations" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Departments"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations">Departments</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-label="/search/news-and-communications" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"News"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/news-and-communications">News</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-label="/search/guidance-and-regulation" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Guidance and regulation"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/guidance-and-regulation">Guidance and regulation</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-label="/search/research-and-statistics" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Research and statistics"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics">Research and statistics</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-label="/search/policy-papers-and-consultations" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Policy papers and consultations"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/policy-papers-and-consultations">Policy papers and consultations</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-label="/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Transparency"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases">Transparency</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-label="/government/how-government-works" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"How government works"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/government/how-government-works">How government works</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="governmentactivityLink" data-track-label="/government/get-involved" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Get involved"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/government/get-involved">Get involved</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <hr class="govuk-footer__section-break"> <div class="govuk-footer__meta"> <div class="govuk-footer__meta-item govuk-footer__meta-item--grow"> <h2 class="govuk-visually-hidden">Support links</h2> <ul class="govuk-footer__inline-list govuk-!-display-none-print" data-module="gem-track-click" data-track-links-only> <li class="govuk-footer__inline-list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="supportLink" data-track-label="/help" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Help"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help">Help</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__inline-list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="supportLink" data-track-label="/help/privacy-notice" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Privacy"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help/privacy-notice">Privacy</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__inline-list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="supportLink" data-track-label="/help/cookies" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Cookies"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help/cookies">Cookies</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__inline-list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="supportLink" data-track-label="/help/accessibility-statement" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Accessibility statement"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help/accessibility-statement">Accessibility statement</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__inline-list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="supportLink" data-track-label="/contact" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Contact"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/contact">Contact</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__inline-list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="supportLink" data-track-label="/help/terms-conditions" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Terms and conditions"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help/terms-conditions">Terms and conditions</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__inline-list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" lang="cy" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="supportLink" data-track-label="/cymraeg" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Rhestr o Wasanaethau Cymraeg"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/cymraeg">Rhestr o Wasanaethau Cymraeg</a> </li> <li class="govuk-footer__inline-list-item"> <a class="govuk-footer__link" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-action="supportLink" data-track-label="/government/organisations/government-digital-service" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Government Digital Service"}" href="/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-digital-service">Government Digital Service</a> </li> </ul> <svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" class="govuk-footer__licence-logo" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewbox="0 0 483.2 195.7" height="17" width="41"> <path fill="currentColor" d="M421.5 142.8V.1l-50.7 32.3v161.1h112.4v-50.7zm-122.3-9.6A47.12 47.12 0 0 1 221 97.8c0-26 21.1-47.1 47.1-47.1 16.7 0 31.4 8.7 39.7 21.8l42.7-27.2A97.63 97.63 0 0 0 268.1 0c-36.5 0-68.3 20.1-85.1 49.7A98 98 0 0 0 97.8 0C43.9 0 0 43.9 0 97.8s43.9 97.8 97.8 97.8c36.5 0 68.3-20.1 85.1-49.7a97.76 97.76 0 0 0 149.6 25.4l19.4 22.2h3v-87.8h-80l24.3 27.5zM97.8 145c-26 0-47.1-21.1-47.1-47.1s21.1-47.1 47.1-47.1 47.2 21 47.2 47S123.8 145 97.8 145"></path> </svg> <span class="govuk-footer__licence-description" data-module="gem-track-click" data-track-action="copyrightLink" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-label="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/" data-track-options="{"dimension29": "Open Government Licence v3.0"}" data-track-links-only> All content is available under the <a class="govuk-footer__link" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/" rel="license">Open Government Licence v3.0</a>, except where otherwise stated </span> </div> <div class="govuk-footer__meta-item" data-module="gem-track-click" data-track-action="copyrightLink" data-track-category="footerClicked" data-track-label="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/re-using-public-sector-information/uk-government-licensing-framework/crown-copyright/" data-track-options="{"dimension29": "© Crown copyright"}" data-track-links-only> <a class="govuk-footer__link govuk-footer__copyright-logo" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/re-using-public-sector-information/uk-government-licensing-framework/crown-copyright/">© Crown copyright</a> </div> </div> </div> </footer> <script src="/web/20230307214137js_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/static/application-95aadcb5937bf2fc39d824ed8114d7a1fe0aa26e45db76772f9793a477be821a.js"></script> <script src="/web/20230307214137js_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/government-frontend/application-05a7d8fdc148678ba132d088521f2a33f4d6001a0f826bafcdad208f7b4e4998.js"></script><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/http://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/help/accessibility-statement" }, "name": "Accessibility statement", "datePublished": "2019-09-23T17:16:37.000+00:00", "dateModified": "2023-01-04T11:21:11.000+00:00", "text": "This statement applies to content published on the www.gov.uk domain. It does not apply to content on service.gov.uk subdomains (for example, www.registertovote.service.gov.uk)", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "GOV.UK", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/assets/government-frontend/govuk_publishing_components/govuk-logo-73b5a4056ffe9988d02c728b56fe9fe7f90bb822322a5f6183ccbb92a99b019a.png" } }, "image": [ "http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/assets/government-frontend/govuk_publishing_components/govuk-schema-placeholder-1x1-bf9e64d759af6dfd93bede8168f3087a329f405b382aff36747db0db4b7b23e9.png", "http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/assets/government-frontend/govuk_publishing_components/govuk-schema-placeholder-4x3-13093f053c15f613acd827aff27cac83d3fab452947cbcae4c7b706dadf2f7f2.png", "http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/assets/government-frontend/govuk_publishing_components/govuk-schema-placeholder-16x9-4233cd42671827e266e284c4d5ae68fb600bd9f9e35dda663ccabbc2b6ab7ec3.png" ], "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Government Digital Service", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-digital-service" }, "headLine": "Accessibility statement", "description": "This statement applies to content published on the www.gov.uk domain. It does not apply to content on service.gov.uk subdomains (for example, www.registertovote.service.gov.uk)", "articleBody": "\u003cp\u003eThis statement applies to content published on the www.gov.uk domain. It does not apply to content on service.gov.uk subdomains (for example, www.registertovote.service.gov.uk).\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis website is run by the Government Digital Service. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. The text should be clear and simple to understand. You should be able to:\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ezoom in up to 300% without problems\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003enavigate most of the website using just a keyboard\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003enavigate most of the website using speech recognition software\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003euse most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"how-accessible-this-website-is\"\u003eHow accessible this website is\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eParts of this website are not fully accessible. For example:\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003esome pages and document attachments are not written in plain English\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003esome tables do not have row headings\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003esome documents have poor colour contrast\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003esome heading elements are not consistent\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003esome images do not have image descriptions\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003esome buttons are not correctly identified\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003esome error messages are not clearly associated with form controls\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003emany documents are in \u003cabbr title=\"Portable Document Format\"\u003ePDF\u003c/abbr\u003e format and are not accessible\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach department and agency which publishes content on GOV.UK is responsible for making sure it meets the accessibility regulations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"govuk-services\"\u003eGOV.UK services\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach service has its own accessibility page, with details of how accessible the service is, how to report problems and how to request information in an alternative format. You can access these pages from the footer inside the service.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"feedback-and-contact-information\"\u003eFeedback and contact information\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/contact/govuk\"\u003eTell us if you need information in a different format\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn your message, include:\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ethe web address (URL) of the content\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eyour email address and name\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ethe format you need - for example, plain text, braille, \u003cabbr title=\"British Sign Language\"\u003eBSL\u003c/abbr\u003e, large print or audio CD\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYou can request a \u003cabbr title=\"Portable Document Format\"\u003ePDF\u003c/abbr\u003e in an accessible format from its page. Click ‘Request an accessible format’ to contact the organisation that published the document.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYou can also view the organisation’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/search/all?parent=\u0026amp;keywords=%22accessible+document+policy%22\u0026amp;level_one_taxon=a544d48b-1e9e-47fb-b427-7a987c658c14\u0026amp;level_two_taxon=\u0026amp;manual=\u0026amp;public_timestamp%5Bfrom%5D=\u0026amp;public_timestamp%5Bto%5D=\u0026amp;topical_events=\u0026amp;order=relevance\"\u003eaccessible document policy\u003c/a\u003e to report any problems or request documents in an alternative format.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"reporting-accessibility-problems-with-this-website\"\u003eReporting accessibility problems with this website\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you find any problems that are not listed on this page or you think we’re not meeting the accessibility requirements, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/contact/govuk\"\u003econtact us\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"enforcement-procedure\"\u003eEnforcement procedure\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you contact us with a complaint and you’re not happy with our response \u003ca rel=\"external\" href=\"https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/\"\u003econtact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (\u003cabbr title=\"Equality Advisory and Support Service\"\u003eEASS\u003c/abbr\u003e)\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Equality and Human Rights Commission (\u003cabbr title=\"Equality and Human Rights Commission\"\u003eEHRC\u003c/abbr\u003e) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"technical-information-about-this-websites-accessibility\"\u003eTechnical information about this website’s accessibility\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Government Digital Service is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"compliance-status\"\u003eCompliance status\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis website is partially compliant with the \u003ca rel=\"external\" href=\"https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/\"\u003eWeb Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1\u003c/a\u003e AA standard.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"non-accessible-content\"\u003eNon-accessible content\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3 id=\"non-compliance-with-the-accessibility-regulations\"\u003eNon-compliance with the accessibility regulations\u003c/h3\u003e\n\n\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSome tables in content do not have table row headers when needed. This means assistive technologies will not read the tables correctly. This fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eImages on some pages do not always have suitable image descriptions. Users of assistive technologies may not have access to information conveyed in images. This fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSome pages have duplicate titles. This may make it difficult for users to orient themselves and find the right content. This fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.4.2 success criterion (Page Titled).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eThe change in the default written language is not correctly identified on some pages. This means screen readers will not read content correctly. This fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.1 success criterion 3.1.2 (Language of Parts).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTranslation Navigation is inconsistently named. This fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.1 success criterion 3.2.4 (Consistent Identification).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSome pages cannot be found through more than one type of navigation. This fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.1 success criterion 2.4.5 (Multiple Ways).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSome pages have inconsistently-placed language navigation. This fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.1 success criterion 3.2.4 success criterion (Consistent Identification).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSome content looks like headings but is not. This makes it difficult for screen reader users to navigate the page. This fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSome pages have poor colour contrast. This fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.1 success criterion 1.4.1 (Use of Colour).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMany documents are in less accessible formats, for example \u003cabbr title=\"Portable Document Format\"\u003ePDF\u003c/abbr\u003e. Non-HTML documents published on or after 23 September 2018 must have an accessible format.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\n\u003ch4 id=\"pdfs-and-non-html-documents\"\u003ePDFs and non-HTML documents\u003c/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMany documents are not accessible in a number of ways including missing text alternatives and missing document structure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eView the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/search/all?parent=\u0026amp;keywords=%22accessible+document+policy%22\u0026amp;level_one_taxon=a544d48b-1e9e-47fb-b427-7a987c658c14\u0026amp;level_two_taxon=\u0026amp;manual=\u0026amp;public_timestamp%5Bfrom%5D=\u0026amp;public_timestamp%5Bto%5D=\u0026amp;topical_events=\u0026amp;order=relevance\"\u003eaccessible document policy\u003c/a\u003e of the organisation that published the document to report any problems or request documents in an alternative format. If more than one organisation is listed, view the accessible document policy of the first.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3 id=\"disproportionate-burden\"\u003eDisproportionate burden\u003c/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe believe that fixing the accessibility problems with some content would be disproportionate because the relevant platform will be retired soon.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4 id=\"applying-for-licences\"\u003eApplying for licences\u003c/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome of the content used to apply for some types of licence is non-accessible. For example, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/temporary-events-notice\"\u003eapplying for a Temporary Events Notice\u003c/a\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eadjacent links to the same pages mean it’s not easy to navigate using keyboard alone - this fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.1 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard)\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003esome forms controls are not detectable by screen reader software - this fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value)\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003esome pages are missing a heading - this fails \u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe non-accessible content used to apply for some types of licence is published through platforms which we are transitioning to new arrangements. We believe that fixing the problems causing content to be non-accessible on the old platforms would be disproportionate.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3 id=\"content-thats-not-within-the-scope-of-the-accessibility-regulations\"\u003eContent that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations\u003c/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNon-HTML documents published before September 2018 do not need to be accessible - unless users need them to use a service.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"how-we-tested-this-website\"\u003eHow we tested this website\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines V2.1 level A and level AA to test how accessible GOV.UK is.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe used the Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (\u003cabbr title=\"Web Content Accessibility Guidelines\"\u003eWCAG\u003c/abbr\u003e-EM) approach to decide on a sample of pages to test.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe also tested a sample of pages involved in applying for licences.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn April 2022, the Digital Accessibility Centre (\u003cabbr title=\"Digital Accessibility Centre\"\u003eDAC\u003c/abbr\u003e) conducted an audit of a representative sample of pages on GOV.UK, from which common accessibility issues across the website were identified.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-were-doing-to-improve-accessibility\"\u003eWhat we’re doing to improve accessibility\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing the audit conducted by the \u003cabbr title=\"Digital Accessibility Centre\"\u003eDAC\u003c/abbr\u003e in April 2022, departments and agencies are urgently fixing content which fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"preparation-of-this-accessibility-statement\"\u003ePreparation of this accessibility statement\u003c/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv role=\"note\" aria-label=\"Information\" class=\"application-notice info-notice\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis statement was prepared on 23 September 2019. It was last reviewed on 4 January 2023.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n" } </script><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/http://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "name": "Home", "@id": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230307214137/https://www.gov.uk/" } } ] } </script> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM