Accessibility Statement - Carrier Bag Levy

This website is run by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • clearly understand the content and instructions of the website.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website aren't fully accessible:

  • the service may time out on inactive users without warning and without a means to extend the session
  • the use of tables may cause some difficulties for users on smaller devices where scrolling across the page may be required
  • some links may not be very clear for screenreader users
  • not all successful changes are accompanied by a status message to the user to confirm their change has been successfully actioned

What to do if you can't access parts of this website

If you need further information or assistance in using parts of this website, you can contact a DAERA Direct Regional Office.

A DAERA member of staff will be able to help you with your request.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren't listed on this page or think we're not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations, contact the DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.

If you are unhappy with the quality of service received, in the first instance, you can make a complaint to DAERA.

Enforcement procedure

If you remain dissatisfied with the Department’s final response to your complaint, you can refer your case to the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI), which is responsible for enforcing accessibility regulations. 
You can contact them.

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Dundonald House
Upper Newtownards Road
Ballymiscaw
Belfast BT4 3SB

DAERA Headquarters map location

Call DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.

If you have a hearing difficulty you can contact the Department via Text Relay using the Next Generation Text Service (NGTS).

  • Making a call from a textphone dial 18001 + number.
  • Making a call from a telephone dial 18002 + number.

There are also various Text to Speech applications available to use.

Technical information about this website's accessibility

DAERA is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Issues with technology

  • The application appears not to have a mechanism for extending the session timeout. And no warning is given to users that this is about to happen. (2.2.1 Timing Adjustable)
  • Tables normally cause horizontal scrolling on smaller devices, or reduce the size of all content registered to allow the table to fit the screen. Wrapping the table in a horizontally scrollable DIV will allow the table to be scrolled independently from the rest of the page, which is preferable. (1.4.10 Reflow)
  • Consider adding more links to the blue menu bar, so there are multiple ways to locate a webpage (2.4.5 Multiple Ways, 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation)
  • When a change is successful, adding a status message to the page (incl role="status") will help users know it's occurred and will prioritise this information for screenreaders. (4.1.3 Status Messages)

Issues with text

  • There's one observed missing H1 heading - 'Review business details' (1.3.1 Info and Relationships)
  • Add visually hidden text to help differentiate 'Change' button in summary lists. This is text which doesn't have to display as the link meaning can be inferred by its context, but assists screenreader users. (2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context))

Issues with PDFs and other documents

  • No observed issues.

Issues with images, video and audio

  • No observed issues.

Issues with interactive tools and transactions

  • No observed issues

How we tested this website

This website was last tested on 31 August 2023. The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

We chose to test most pages within the application. The pages were tested for code compliance using the Axe and WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) Chrome extensions and NVDA screen reader. The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust).

We tested:

  • Homepage
  • Registration status
  • Your businesses
  • Manage levy
  • Associated shops
  • Edit shop
  • Declaration and payment history
  • Declaration and payment history details
  • Payments
  • Contact us
  • Add business (Contact details)
  • Review new business details
  • Registration submitted

The accessibility evaluation report can be made available on request.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

The Department is actively engaged in improving the accessibility of its applications. As part of our 'UIUX Checklist', we require developers to design software with accessibility compliance built in. In those circumstances where compliance cannot be met, reasons for this should be documented, along with steps for addressing issues. We also carry out user research to ascertain user requirements and conduct usability workshopping before launching new applications.

This statement was prepared on 22 September 2023. It was last updated on 22 September 2023.

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