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:

• change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
• zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

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 to view documents open in a new window without alerting the user first
• required fields do not have cues, so some screenreading software may not announce to the user that they must complete these fields to proceed
• not all successful changes are accompanied by a status message to the user to confirm their change has been successfully actioned
• there is no consistent menu navigation to help users move easily between screens

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the DAERA Helpline who will direct you towards the correct branch or division.

• email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk
• call 0300 200 7852

You can also contact the DAERA Helpline if you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille.

If you have a hearing difficulty you can contact DAERA 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

If you cannot view the map on our contact us page, call or email us for directions.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI).

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.

Compliance status

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

• 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)
• Documents page - View button opens the document in a new tab. Add a note above table or (opens in new tab) to alert user (3.2.2 On Input)
• 'Required' fields do not have HTML or ARIA cues to identify them to screenreaders ( 1.3.1 Info And Relationships, 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value)
• Data entered by the user is checked for input errors, the user is given an opportunity to correct them BUT if they've found they've entered the wrong details, they cannot amend before finalising submission. The user can NOT review, confirm, and correct information before finalizing the submission (3.3.4 Error Prevention)
• 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)

Disproportionate burden

• Not applicable

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

• Not applicable

PDFs and other documents

• No associated PDF documents.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

DAERA is actively engaged in improving the accessibility of its applications. As part of our 'UX 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 endeavour to carry out user research to ascertain user requirements and conduct usability workshopping before launching new applications.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 22 September 2023. It was last reviewed on 31 July 2025.

This website was last tested on 28 July 2025 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

We tested the following pages:

• 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

We chose to test those pages which were most commonly used, and most representative of the general functionality and layout of the web application. Sample pages were tested for code compliance using WAVE and the Accessibility Insights for Web Chrome extension. The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust).

The full accessibility test report can be made available on request.