Accessible documents policy
How the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) ensures published documents are accessible.
Our policy
This accessibility policy explains how accessible the documents published on the department’s GOV.UK webpages are. It does not apply to content published in HTML format, which is covered by the main GOV.UK accessibility statement.
We publish documents in a range of formats, including:
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- OpenDocument
We aim for our documents to be accessible to everyone who needs them. When we produce a document we:
- provide an HTML option wherever possible
- use structured headings and lists so documents can be understood by assistive technologies
- provide alternative text for non-decorative images so people using assistive technologies can access the information they contain
- write in plain English
Why we prefer to publish content in HTML
HTML content is usually more accessible than downloadable documents, such as PDF files, and works better with assistive technologies and different devices.
There’s a Government Digital Service (GDS) blog which provides more information about why GOV.UK content should be published in HTML and not PDF.
How accessible our documents are
Documents that we publish should be fully accessible.
Documents you need to download or fill in to use one of our services should also be fully accessible.
However, some of our older documents, mainly PDFs published before 23 September 2018, may not be accessible. Some documents published after this date may also not be fully accessible because of content or publishing constraints.
For example, older documents may:
- be scans or photocopies that are not compatible with screen readers
- be tagged incorrectly, for example, without proper headings
- not offer alternative text descriptions for images and diagrams
- not be written in plain English
What to do if you cannot use one of our documents
If you need information in a different format, contact us and ask for an alternative version.
Digital, Data and Technology team
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Old Admiralty Building
Admiralty Place
London
United Kingdom
SW1A 2DY
Email: digital@businessandtrade.gov.uk
We’ll aim to get back to you within 15 working days.
Reporting accessibility issues
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any accessibility problems with our content, email us at digital@businessandtrade.gov.uk.
In England, Wales and Scotland, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
In Northern Ireland, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations. If you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
Technical accessibility information
We are committed to making our documents accessible in accordance with the accessibility regulations.
The documents we publish are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA standard.
Content that is not accessible
Some of our content is not compliant with the accessibility regulations for the following reasons.
Some of our PDFs and Microsoft Word documents include images without a text alternative
This means that the information in the image is not available to everyone, for example, people using a screen reader. This content does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). We plan to add text alternatives for all relevant images. When we publish new documents, we make sure all images meet accessibility standards.
Some of our PDFs contain complex tables with merged cells
This can make it hard for people using assistive technologies to determine the correct reading order. This content does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships). Where possible, we will simplify the tables or make sure they are tagged properly.
Some of our Microsoft Excel spreadsheets may not be clearly structured with labelled tables and headings
Column headings may also be blank and workbook tabs may not have a clear title. This content does not meet success criterion 1.3.1 (info and relationships). We will make sure all new spreadsheets have an appropriate structure.
Some of the documents we publish are produced by third parties
We’re not always able to make these fully compliant, for example, by adding the appropriate heading structure or alternative text for images. This content does not meet success criterion 2.4.10 (section headings) or success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). We have informed third parties of our accessibility requirements, but sometimes we have to publish documents at short notice that are not fully accessible. Where possible, we fix these as soon as we can.
Content that is not within the scope of accessibility regulations
Many of our older PDFs and other file attachments do not meet accessibility standards.
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. However, you can always request specific content to be provided in an accessible format.
Our aim is to publish content as accessible HTML files.
How we’re improving accessibility
We have produced internal templates and guidance to make sure the content we publish is accessible. We are working with policy teams, and research and statistics teams, to help them create accessible documents.
We have changed the terms and conditions for the third-party suppliers that work with us to specify that they must produce accessible documents.
We are reviewing and editing older documents to make them more accessible to people using assistive technologies to access the information.
We are also improving the readability of our content to better meet the WCAG 2.2 AA ‘understandable’ criteria.
This page was last updated on Wednesday 19 August 2026.