Government websites are too complicated for many people to use and two-thirds don’t meet disability standards, a National Audit Office (NAO) report said.
The independent agency, which audits the accounts of all Government departments, agencies and other public bodies, criticised the quality of these websites in Government on the internet: progress delivering information and services online, published on 13 July.
It said they had only improved slightly since 2002. This is despite Government departments spending around £280 million annually on websites.
The NAO said that while some websites were popular, such as Directgov's 'simple-to-use services', many failed because they were too text-heavy, with useful information often hidden amid dense policy material.
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs was singled out as a site that the NAO felt unnecessarily complicated. It said people got "lost in complex documentation" and had difficulty looking for tax codes.
Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, said: “The report highlights that little improvement has been made in these areas."
The NAO has therefore welcomed the Government's move to close at least 551 of 951 websites, in order to streamline services through its 'super sites', Directgov and Business Link, which it felt were simple to use. But the NAO warned that this process had to be carefully managed.
"We welcome this move and think it is a good idea. But it is such a big project that the Cabinet Office must keep this under review," the NAO's report said.
It is also hoped this will improve the issue of meeting the needs of the disabled. The NAO found only one-third of Government websites met disability standards.
Robin Christopherson, head of accessibility services at charity Abilitynet, which helps the disabled use computers, urged the Government to use those with disabilities as key testers to find out their needs.
“Government sites do have accessibility problems and these must be addressed, " he said.
