Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Government Digital Service's report entitled Accessibility monitoring of public sector websites and mobile apps from 2022 to 2024, published on 17 December 2024, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) the digital accessibility of websites is reviewed regularly, (b) websites are checked for accessibility for the visually impaired using a keyboard and (c) automated tools are not singularly used to check digital accessibility.

The Government Digital Service (GDS) monitors the accessibility of public sector websites and mobile applications under The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. Between January 2022 and September 2024, GDS monitored 1,203 websites and 21 mobile applications.

Accessibility monitoring of public sector websites and mobile applications is ongoing.

The monitoring process for each website consists of both automated and manual accessibility checks, including keyboard testing.

More information on the monitoring methodology can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-monitoring-how-we-test .