Accessible documents policy

This policy explains how accessible the documents the Competition and Markets Authority publishes on GOV.UK are.

This policy explains how accessible the documents the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) publishes on GOV.UK are. It covers PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations and other types of document. It doesn’t cover content published on GOV.UK as HTML: the main GOV.UK accessibility statement covers that.

Using our documents

The CMA publishes documents in a range of formats, including PDF and ODT.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use those documents. For example, when we produce a document we make sure to:

  • provide an HTML option where possible
  • tag headings and other parts of the document properly, so screen readers can understand the page structure
  • make sure we include alt text alongside non-decorative images, so people who can’t see them understand what they’re there for
  • write in plain English

How accessible our documents are

New documents we publish and documents you need to download or fill in to access one of the services we provide should be fully accessible.

However, we know that some of our older documents (published before 23 September 2018) aren’t accessible. For example, some of them:

  • are just photocopies and aren’t marked up in a way that allows screen reader users to understand them
  • aren’t tagged up properly - for example, they don’t contain proper headings
  • aren’t written in plain English

This mostly applies to third party documents, documents on our case pages and documents published by previous organisations (for example we have published some documents from the Office of Fair Trading).

These types of documents are exempt from the regulations, so we don’t currently have any plans to make them accessible.

But if you need to access information in one of these document types, you can contact us and ask for an alternative format.

What to do if you cannot use one of our documents

If you need a document we’ve published in a different format:

We’ll consider the request and get back to you within 10 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with one of our documents

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or you think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: [email protected]

Enforcement procedure

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 not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about the accessibility of our documents

The CMA is committed to making our documents accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

The documents the CMA publishes are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 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

Our cartels reporting form does not meet the WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

We are working to move this to an accessible format as soon as possible, and are currently offering alternative methods of reporting for anybody who wishes to use it.

Disproportionate burden

There is currently no content that falls under the disproportionate burden category.

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

The accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. For example, we don’t plan to fix documents on CMA case pages that closed before 23 September 2018.

The accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix third party documents. Some of our documents are from third parties, usually submitted as part of an investigation. These documents will be published as we receive them, and may not meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

How we tested our documents

We last tested a sample of our documents between June and September 2020. The test was carried out internally, by the CMA’s Digital Team.

We tested a variety of documents against the WCAG 2.1 AA standards, and where necessary, fixed issues.

We tested:

  • existing PDF documents (for example, guidance and case page updates)
  • Word and Open Document Format (such as .ODT) documents
  • PDF forms and templates

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

To improve the accessibiltiy of our content we are:

  • publishing more content and guidance in HTML format
  • testing older PDF documents, and re-publishing them either in accessible format, or as an HTML page
  • publishing data and information from graphs or infographics in accessible formats
  • publishing data in CSV format

This page was prepared on 22 September 2020. It was last updated on 22 September 2020.

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