Accessibility statement for Apply for a public appointment

This accessibility statement applies to Apply for a public appointment at https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk.

The Public Appointments team wants as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 3 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think this website is not meeting accessibility requirements, email us at publicappointments@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

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).

Northern Ireland

The Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The Cabinet Office is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology

This website is designed to be compatible with assistive technologies and the last two versions of major browsers.

In Internet Explorer 10, 11, and older browsers, some aspects of the website may not display optimally. The website is not designed for Internet Explorer 9 and earlier versions.

Compliance status

This website and other web services do not meet all of the relevant success criteria up to and including level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1.

We will aim to resolve any issues you experience in using these services as soon as possible.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  • Certain radio button components within the service will be problematic for screen reader users and may interfere with the accessibility of the page. This fails WCAG 2.1 criterion: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A).
  • Help text component link expansion issues specifically for voice activation do not work correctly. This fails WCAG 2.1 criterion: 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A).

These are known issues within our design components and are currently being addressed. We will aim to update our site with the latest code version once it becomes available and retest our service.

  • Some PDF documents contained within appointment adverts may not be fully accessible to users. If you experience any issues, please contact the Sponsor Department using the contact details provided to request the document in an alternative format.

Additional security measures and enhancements have been made to this service which currently are non-compliant to accessibility regulations. These features have been assured through the Cabinet Office Information Assurance team and will be fed back to the GOV.UK design team for further development.

These measures are as follows:

  • Enhanced error messaging to protect account user credentials - Due to the sensitive nature of some of the appointments advertised and the types of citizens that would apply for them, we have purposefully made this messaging feature more generic as a preventive measure to hide any exposure of a positive email or password match. This currently fails WCAG 2.1 criterion: 3.3.3 Error Suggestion (Level AA).
  • Session timeout component. To ensure that the user session remains authenticated up to a reasonable standard, we have introduced this additional component so that users are notified that their session is due to end and can opt to continue. This component has been used in more data focused services such as HMRC but not across the wider GOV.UK landscape. This allows us to meet WCAG 2.1 criterion: 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable (Level A).

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

The Public Appointments Service will monitor accessibility on a regular basis for the lifetime of the service and keep this statement up to date in accordance with this process. We will conduct another test as part of our continuous improvement roadmap which will incorporate additional features as well as the issues identified. The audit will be carried out in April 2025 and this statement will be updated as a result.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 16 December 2022. It was last reviewed on 26 March 2024.

This site was last tested on January 2024.