I could really go into the need for a national governing body for web designers in every country like I do at times on forums elsewhere, but perhaps if pressure is kept up on politicians at all levels then maybe that’s what this will lead to anyway.

Gill, do you have Ministers over there with portfolios such as Information Technology, Communications and Health? I’m sure you do, but they just may be titled differently. It would be interesting to see what their sites are like, what the opposition parties “shadow” Ministers sites are like in those portfolios also.

Why not contact one of the Shadow Ministers, regardless of what their site is like, point out what’s being pointed out here and hopefully do a site for them - then they might go into parliament and attack the government in this respect?

Her own site is very basic so should pass everything with flying colours. It has invalid code. The developer has provided an HTML 4 doctype then used XHTML code in places. The CSS is invalid. The home page fails automated checks for WAI priority 1 although other pages pass.

Text does resize, some images have alt text which doesn’t add to the content, one has no alt text which is why it’s failing level 1. It is keyboard navigable so it’s pretty usable but as I say very basic and really has no excuse not to be correct.

Impressed or what! Foot of the page - Valid HTML, Valid CSS and WAI AA! AA no less. Well you just have to check don’t you and the only badge that’s correct is the CSS one.

It looks like a CMS and I appreciate that you can’t always get those to be fully compliant but then you don’t claim they are. And if they start out compliant then you take the time to make sure the updates are as well.

Usefully, they have a feedback forum about site design and usability, so I’ve fedback.

Err… no. The Disability Discrimination Act protects disabled people but not technology. Here’s a reference from the DDA itself : http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/95050–a.htm#1
“a person has a disability for the purposes of this Act if he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.”