Malcolm Byrne
Question:40. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Defence how her ensures that all websites operated by her Department are accessible to the visually impaired. [4813/26]
View answerWednesday, 21 January 2026
Questions (40)
Written answers
The Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, through the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), provides the underlying infrastructure and technical environment for the gov.ie family of government websites, including that of my Department.
In addition to the Department of Defence website - www.gov.ie/defence - my Department is also responsible for two Civil Defence websites - www.civildefence.ie and www.civildefencecollege.ie.
The OGCIO’s design system and implementation approach ensures that accessibility for visually impaired users is a core requirement in the design, development and operation of all websites under its remit.
All OGCIO managed websites are 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. They meet the WCAG 2.1 AA international accessibility standards, and work is underway to transition to WCAG 2.2 AA.
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. Accessibility statements are kept up to date, and any issues identified through audits or user feedback are addressed. Recent NDA assessments confirmed full compliance for gov.ie in the simplified review and a high score in the in-depth review. This places gov.ie among the most accessible public-service websites in Ireland.
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.
While OGCIO manages the technical platform and centrally maintained content, individual Departments and Agencies remain responsible for ensuring that their own published material is accessible. OGCIO provides ongoing guidance and communications to support this work. In collaboration with the NDA, OGCIO has issued comprehensive accessibility standards for documents, videos, images and other online content, including requirements for alternative text, captions, appropriate heading structure, colour contrast, and avoiding PDFs where possible.
Through this combination of legislative compliance, technical standards, continuous testing and independent audit, my Department ensures that its website meets high accessibility standards for visually impaired users.
With regard to the www.civildefence.ie website, which is maintained by an external contractor, this site also complies to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA – the same current level as www.gov.ie/defence.
Work has commenced on the planned redevelopment of the two Civil Defence websites. This work will include enhancing the websites by reference to current best practice, in particular by enhancing accessibility for the visually impaired, which will ensure that both meet the same standards as OGCIO-maintained websites.
Arrangements will be put in place to ensure that accessibility on the Civil Defence websites is monitored on a regular basis, similar to the arrangements that apply in respect of the Department's website.