HL Deb 27 May 2004 vol 661 c157WA
Lord Morris of Manchester

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What consideration they have given to the Disability Rights Commission's finding that 81 per cent of websites do not meet the basic website accessibility guidelines, thus limiting equal access to online services and employment opportunities for disabled people; and what action they are taking. [HL2865]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham)

The Disability Rights Commission published its formal investigation,The Web: Access and Inclusion for Disabled People on April 14. In the research, 1,000 websites were tested for full accessibility and 808 failed to meet the minimum standards for disabled web access.

The report made 15 recommendations aimed at various organisations, including government, the web industry, business and disability organisations aimed at enhancing access to the web for disabled people.

We are currently working with the Disability Rights Commission to progress the seven recommendations that fall to Government.