Accessibility statement

This statement applies to the apply for a standard individual export licence (SIEL) service, which is part of the wider GOV.UK website. There's a separate accessibility statement for the main GOV.UK website.

Using the apply for a SIEL service

This service is run by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). We want as many people as possible to be able to use the apply for a SIEL service. This means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
  • zoom in up to 500% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the service using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the content in the service using a screen reader

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

Accessibility issues on the apply for a SIEL service

Parts of this service are not fully accessible. For example:

  • it times out users after a set amount of time, which cannot be extended
  • individual pages in the service do not have titles describing their purpose
  • some questions and answer boxes do not have clear titles or accessible names for those using screen readers
  • there is non-text content across the service (like progress bars and greyed out boxes) which does not have clear text alternatives
  • there are links which don't clearly explain where they lead or what they do
  • some links open in a new tab without making that clear
  • there are 2 tables in the service with incorrect row or column attributes for those using screen readers
  • the service uses a star rating to gather feedback that does not have visual labels, visual instructions or a focus indicator for keyboard users
  • it's not possible to use your browser's autocomplete options to enter information
  • some links, buttons and labels throughout the service do not have enough colour contrast for low vision users

What to do if you have difficulty using the apply for a SIEL service

If you need accessibility support to access this service, contact LITE.support@businessandtrade.gov.uk or call +44 (0)20 7215 4594 and select option two.

If you find any accessibility problems not listed on this page, email us at LITE.support@businessandtrade.gov.uk. We'll review your message and get back to you within 15 days.

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 apply for a SIEL service's accessibility

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

Compliance status

This service is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-compliant content and functionality

Level A

  1. Individual pages of the service do not have titles that describe the topic or purpose of the page. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled).
  2. Questions with radio buttons lack legends explaining the group of options. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
  3. Questions asking for dates do not give users of screen readers context about what date they have to give. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
  4. Some free text questions have 2 rows of text boxes for responses. The second row does not have an accessible name. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships), 3.3.2 (Labels or Instructions) and 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
  5. Some pages do not have the correct hierarchy of headings for users of screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
  6. Non-text content (such as progress bars) does not have a text alternative. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content) and 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).
  7. There is an animated progress bar at the top of a page that cannot be paused, stopped or hidden. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.2.2 (Pause, Stop, Hide).
  8. The homepage of the service has sections that are visually greyed out, but they are not disabled clearly for users of screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
  9. Some headings and questions throughout the service have unclear or incorrect labels that do not relate to the text on the screen. This fails WCAG success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
  10. When users try to return to edit a question they already answered, the information they already entered no longer shows. This fails WCAG success criterion 3.3.7 (Redundant Entry).
  11. Some free text answer boxes do not have an accessible name. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
  12. The service contains links whose purposes or destinations are not accurately described. This fails WCAG success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context)) and 2.4.9 (Link Purpose (Link Only)).
  13. The table of 'Users' contains an incorrect row attribute which causes issues for screen readers. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
  14. When entering a registered office address, the page has optional and required fields which are not appropriately labelled. This fails WCAG success criterion 3.3.2 (Labels or Instructions).
  15. At the end of the application there is a star rating component which is not accessible to all users. The stars do not have visual labels or instructions. This fails WCAG success criterion 3.3.2 (Labels or Instructions).
  16. The 'Product list' page has a table with an empty invisible column that screen readers announce as 'blank'. This fails WCAG success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
  17. The service times users out after a certain amount of time. Users do not get a warning about the timeout, and the length of the session cannot be extended. This fails WCAG success criterion 2.2.1 (Timing Adjustable) and 2.2.6 (Timeouts).

Level AA

  1. Summary tables contain 'change' buttons for going back and changing answers. The buttons aren't clearly labelled to show which questions they relate to. This fails WCAG success criterion 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels).
  2. Users cannot choose to autocomplete their name by using saved data. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.3.5 (Identify Input Purpose).
  3. There is a progress bar at the top of certain pages which does not have enough colour contrast for low vision users. This fails WCAG success criterion 1.4.11 (Non-text Contrast).
  4. The star rating component at the end of the service does not have a visible focus indicator for keyboard users. This fails WCAG success criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible).
  5. Throughout the service, there are links which open new tabs. The link texts do not make this clear to users. This fails WCAG success criterion 3.2.5 (Change on Request).
  6. Tables in the service contain multiple rows with the same links. The links are not labelled to show which questions they relate to, which causes issues for users when browsing out of context. This fails WCAG success criterion 2.4.9 (Link Purpose (Link Only)).
  7. Some links and buttons throughout the service do not have sufficient colour contrast for low vision users. This fails to meet WCAG success criterion 1.4.6 (Contrast (Enhanced)).

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We have committed to updating at least all A level issues by the end of January 2025.

We'll update this page when issues are fixed, when we expect them to be fixed or when new problems are identified.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 2 February 2024. It was last reviewed on 15 October 2024.

This website was last tested on 31 May 2024 and was checked for compliance with the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. The test was carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC).