Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage companies to take up innovative technologies to make packaging more accessible to people with sight impairments.

The Government recognises the specific challenges faced by people with sight loss or visual impairment, and that consideration of equality impacts must be integral in all key policy decisions.

UK Research and Innovation have work undertaken to accelerate innovation in assistive technologies, which is set out in the National Institute of Health Research’s report on Research and Development Work Relating to Assistive Technology.

The Royal National Institute for Blind People can support businesses to develop more accessible products and services, and can recommend solutions, technologies and tools to help resolve accessibility issues.