Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 January 2026
87. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation how he ensures that all websites operated by his Department are accessible to the visually impaired. [4822/26]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, my Department, 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 which, as well as sites for Departments and offices, also includes sites such as ireland.ie and Citizens Information. 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 the websites it operates meet high accessibility standards for visually impaired users.
