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Departmental Websites

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2021

Tuesday, 15 June 2021

Questions (781)

Holly Cairns

Question:

781. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education the way in which her Department and agencies under her remit are meeting the requirement to subject to Regulation 6, public sector bodies shall, in accordance with Regulation 3, take necessary measures to make their websites and mobile applications more accessible by making them perceivable, operable, understandable and robust under the directive 2016/2102 (EU), as articulated in SI No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31298/21]

View answer

Written answers

My department is committed to making the information on its website accessible to all, regardless of ability. To this end, the Department’s website is designed to follow guidelines set out by the W3C (the World Wide Web Consortium). The department aims to comply with Level Double-A of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0. In addition, a number of Triple-A checkpoints are incorporated to enhance the accessibility of the website. An accessibility statement is published on the website and is linked in the page footer on all web pages.

My department has commenced captioning of videos and use of Irish Sign Language on appropriate video material. In the development of content for its new website, to be hosted on gov.ie, my department has taken a plain English approach as part of the overall Government initiative to make information more accessible to all citizens.

My department has not developed or deployed any mobile applications.

The information in respect of state bodies, within the scope of the Deputy’s question, is not held by my department. Contact details for these bodies are set out in the attached document, should the Deputy wish to contact the aegis bodies directly with her query.

Contact E-Mail Addresses for State Bodies under the Remit of the Department of Education

Name of Body

Dedicated Email address for the Members of the Oireachtas

Designated Official Responsible for assisting Oireachtas Members

An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta Note 1

oireachtas@cogg.ie

muireann@cogg.ie

Educational Research Centre

oireachtas.queries@erc.ie

jude.cosgrove@erc.ie

National Centre for Guidance in Education

oireachtas@ncge.ie

Jennifer.mckenzie@ncge.ie

National Council for Curriculum and Assessment Note 2

oireachtasqueries@ncca.ie

Aine.ArmstrongFarrell@ncca.ie

State Examinations Commission

Oireachtas@examinations.ie

Paddy.Quinn@examinations.ie

The Teaching Council

pqrep@teachingcouncil.ie

Tomás Ó Ruairc

National Council for Special Education

oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie

patrick.martin@ncse.ie and

cindyjane.oconnell@ncse.ie

Residential Institutions Statutory Fund – Caranua Note3

Hugh_Geoghegan@education.gov.ie

Hugh_Geoghegan@education.gov.ie

Note 1 – The designated officer responsible within An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachta is Muireann Ní Mhóráin

Note 2 – The spelling of the NCCA e-mail address to which Oireachtas queries may be addressed has been verified with the NCCA as being accurate

Note 3 –The Executive Office of Caranua (Residential Institutions Statutory Fund) has completed its work, work is now underway to address the winding up of Caranua. In the interim queries in regard to Caranua are being addressed by the Department of Education, pending the passing of legislation to address the windup. Contact details for a Departmental official are provided above.

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