ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

This accessibility statement applies to handbook.fca.org.uk, the domain used to publish the FCA Handbook online. The website is run by The Stationery Office (TSO) on behalf of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  1. change colours, contrast levels and fonts;
  2. navigate most of the website using just a keyboard; and
  3. listen to most of the website using a screen reader.

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 are not fully accessible:

  1. you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text in some areas;
  2. most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software;
  3. video guides are not available in alternative formats; and
  4. there is a limit to how far you can magnify pages across the site.

Feedback and contact information

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact esupport@tso.co.uk.

If you need information on this website in a different format, such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read or an audio recording please email esupport@tso.co.uk. We will consider your request and get back to you in 10 working 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 this website’s accessibility

The FCA is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the accessibility regulations.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  1. Users should be able to modify the line height or spacing of text on most pages on the website with no loss of content or functionality. However, we are aware that modifying the line height or spacing of text does cause text to overlap or be cut off in a handful of cases. This fails WCAG 1.4.12 (Text Spacing). We intend to fix this issue as part of an ongoing redesign of the Handbook website. Our new website will be going live in the second half of 2025.
  2. The ‘Video Guide for Topic browsing’ and the ‘Video Guide to using this Website’ are not available in any other format. These videos contain no spoken words and only have backing music tracks. They will become obsolete when our new website goes live in the second half of 2025. We will make sure that any video guides produced to provide guidance on the new website are available in alternative formats. In the meantime, text-based guidance on how to use the website can be found at Guidance for using the FCA Handbook Website. If you need this information in a different format, please email esupport@tso.co.uk.
  3. Our website contains a number of PDF documents:
    1. The chapter and sourcebook PDFs (for example, the PRIN 1 and PRIN PDFs in the left-hand menu on the PRIN 1 page) are not accessible with a screen reader. These PDFs replicate content that is accessible as HTML text in the Handbook. Alternative formats can be provided if needed and should be requested through the above contact details. We will make sure that equivalent files on the new website are accessible using a screen reader. Our new website will be going live in the second half of 2025.
    2. The instrument PDFs on this website (on the Instruments tab) should be accessible with a screen reader when opened in Adobe. There may be a few exceptions where the content is old and therefore out of scope. Alternative formats can be provided if needed and should be requested through the above contact details. 
    3. The majority of PDF forms on this website (on the Forms page) are available and can be completed on our Connect and RegData platforms. Alternative formats can be provided if needed and should be requested through the above contact details. 

Disproportionate burden

You will be able to view the content on this website using the browser zoom at 200% at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 but it cannot be viewed at higher zoom levels. This fails WCAG 1.4.10 (Reflow). We believe that fixing the reflow issue in full at this stage represents a disproportionate burden because we will be moving onto a new, fully accessible website in the second half of 2025. We consider that the burden of addressing the reflow issue at this stage would outweigh the benefits that resolving it would provide.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

The accessibility regulations do not require us to make PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 fully compliant with the accessibility regulations if they’re not essential to providing our services.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We intend to fix the accessibly issues identified in this statement as part of an ongoing redesign of the Handbook website. Our new Handbook website will be going live in the second half of 2025. In the interim, we will continue to test for and fix, where possible, any non-accessible content.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared and first published on 22 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 19 September 2024.

Method used to prepare this statement

In order to prepare this accessibility statement, we test the website using manual and automated accessibility tests. Both types of testing are run against the W3C WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2. Test failures are reported to our development team and the issues are worked through on a priority basis.

We carry out testing by selecting a representative sample of web pages (typically between 10 and 20 pages) and check that they are compliant with the guidelines. Our testers manually navigate around the pages and check that content is presented in a logical order. Our testers also use the WAVE Chrome browser extension, which applies an automated range of checks to the web page under test. The last test we took in-house took place on 2 September 2024.

We also arrange for Sitemorse to conduct an automated scan of the website, focusing on the top-level pages. This allows us to identify the most common breaches of the guidelines and prioritise our corrective actions. The last scan took place on 11 September 2024. The next scan is scheduled for 1 May 2025. This accessibility statement will be updated, if required, after this date.