Malcolm Byrne
Question:349. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht how he ensures that all websites operated by his Department are accessible to the visually impaired. [4823/26]
View answerWednesday, 21 January 2026
Questions (349)
Written answers
My Department's ICT managed service is provided by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO). As part of this service, my Department's website, www.gov.ie/drcdg, is hosted on the gov.ie family of government websites with the underlying infrastructure and technical environment for the platform provided by the OGCIO
Gov.ie is built and maintained in full compliance with Irish and EU accessibility legislation, including the EU Web Accessibility Directive, the Accessibility of Public Sector Bodies Regulations 2020, and the forthcoming EU Accessibility Act 2025. WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the global standard for digital accessibility, ensuring websites and apps are usable for people with disabilities, including people who are visually impaired. Gov.ie meets the WCAG 2.1 Level AA international accessibility standard.
Accessibility is monitored continuously through automated testing, manual reviews and the regular audits carried out by the National Disability Authority (NDA) under the statutory monitoring framework. To support high quality user experience for visually impaired users, the OGCIO applies accessibility best practice, including compatibility with screen readers, maintaining appropriate colour contrast, and ensuring that all gov.ie enabled services can be operated using keyboard-only navigation.
I would also note that my Department has appointed Access Officers to coordinate assistance and guidance for people with disabilities, including the visually impaired. In particular, we aim for inclusive design of our web pages so they can be used by all, including people with visual impairments.
In addition, www.tidytowns.ie is the website of the Supervalu TidyTowns competition which is administered by my Department and sponsored by SuperValu. This website provides information on the annual competition, as well as guidance and resources for TidyTowns groups across the country. The website also meets the WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standard.