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Accessibility Statement - Waste Authorisations

This website is run by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • view content in a meaningful order
  • clearly understand the content and instructions of the website.

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

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website aren't fully accessible:

  • some older PDF documents may not be fully accessible to screen reader software
  • there are some landmarks and aria-labels missing from our pages
  • after a period of inactivity, the user will be required to sign in again
  • map drawing functionality is not fully accessible, but an alternative document upload facility has been included
  • the selection of EWC codes is problematic as it requires the users to tab through all checkbox options

What to do if you can't access parts of this website

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

A DAERA member of staff will be able to help you with your request.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren't listed on this page or think we're not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations, contact the DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.

If you are unhappy with the quality of service received, in the first instance, you can make a complaint to DAERA.

Enforcement procedure

The Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) is responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations. If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, please contact them.

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Dundonald House
Upper Newtownards Road
Ballymiscaw
Belfast BT4 3SB

DAERA Headquarters map location

Call DAERA customer helpline on 0300 200 7852 or email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk.

If you have a hearing difficulty you can contact the Department via Text Relay using the Next Generation Text Service (NGTS).

  • Making a call from a textphone dial 18001 + number.
  • Making a call from a telephone dial 18002 + number.

There are also various Text to Speech applications available to use.

Technical information about this website's accessibility

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

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Issues with technology

  • A “Skip to main content” link is not present (2.4.1 Bypass blocks). We plan to fix this issue by April 2022
  • In the Simple Waste Exemption application, keyboard users must tab through all EWC checkbox options before being able to ‘Save and continue’ – a method for bypassing multiple input options would be preferable (2.4.1 Bypass blocks)
  • Some mandatory fields are missing the ‘aria-required’ attribute to identify them as required (1.3.1 Info and Relationships)
  • There is no observed notice of expiry and no method to extend the session before it times out (2.2.1 Timing Adjustable)
  • There are some broken Aria references on the ‘aria-describedby’ attribute which should be fixed (4.1.2 Name, Role, Value)
  • The “Clear filter” button on the Quarterly returns page is misdirecting users to another section of the application. This will be address and fixed by April 2022
  • Our page titles do not accurately reflect the page content or naming convention. We plan to fix this issue by April 2022.

Issues with text

  • It's not possible for users to modify text spacing or line height
  • There are some issues with headings on some of our pages. We plan to fix this issue by April 2022
  • There are some issues with labels on some of our online forms. We plan to fix these issues by April 2022.

Issues with PDFs and other documents

  • Some of our older PDFs don't meet accessibility standards - for example, they may not be marked up so they're accessible to a screen reader.
  • 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 older user guides for legacy applications.
  • Any new PDF documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

Issues with images, video and audio

  • No known issues.

Issues with interactive tools and transactions

  • The application includes map functionality for users to plot point or polygon locations. This cannot easily be made accessible. However, document upload functionality has been included as an alternative means for users to provide this information.

How we tested this website

This website was last tested on 04/04/2021. The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

The pages were tested for code compliance using the Axe and WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) Chrome extensions and NVDA screen reader. The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust).

We tested the following pages:

  • Apply for Authorisation
  • My submissions
  • My authorisations
  • Registration of carriers
  • Simple waste exemption – all steps

The accessibility evaluation report can be made available on request.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

The Department is actively engaged in improving the accessibility of its applications. As part of our 'Development Checklist', we require developers to design software with accessibility compliance built in. In those circumstances where compliance cannot be met, reasons for this should be documented, along with steps for addressing issues. We also carry out user research to ascertain user requirements and conduct usability workshopping before launching new applications.

This statement was prepared on 25 May 2021. It was last updated on 25 November 2021.