How information on the site is organised
This website contains information on all aspects of the work we do. The information on the site is divided into the following main sections:
- What We Do – our work, organised under a number of topic headings
- Our Region – information about the region, including geography and other characteristics, statistics, regional bodies and initiatives
- About Us – information about the Government Office itself, including business objectives and organisational structure
- News – recent and archived news items that concern the region
- Publications
Many of the pages in the What We Do section include links to further pages covering matters of common policy and any other information for the topic area in question that is not region-specific. These further pages give a national overview of the topic and are indicated as ‘the National Picture’.
The footer area of each page also includes links to pages covering terms and conditions, privacy policy and copyright considerations.
Navigating around the site
Links to What We Do and Our Region appear in the navigation bar (menu) on the left-hand side of every page, while links to News, About Us, Publications, Contact Us and Help appear in the top navigation bar.
Clicking on a topic in either menu will in most cases display a list of sub-topics. Most pages will also include links within the main content area – either embedded within the text or as one or more lists of links below the main text. These may be links to other pages or sections within the site, links to external sites or to documents that may be opened or downloaded.
Some pages may also include a regional map in the right-hand area that can be clicked to navigate to information relating to the different parts of the region.
Finally, clicking on Home in the top navigation bar or the Government Office logo in the top left corner of the page will always return you to the home page.
Finding the information you need
Using the navigation bars as described above will normally allow you to find the information you need as quickly and easily as possible.
If you cannot find the information you need using the navigation bars, the following other options are also available:
- A-Z Index (top navigation bar) – an alphabetical index of all significant topics and headings within the site
- Site Map (footer) – listing all pages within the site structure
- Keyword Search (in upper right-hand area of every page) – enter one or more words in the box and click “GO” to get a list of links to the pages that best match your query.
Finding out where you are in the site
Above the main heading on each page there is a “crumbtrail” that helps you to keep track of where you are within the site structure. Each stage in the crumbtrail acts as a link, allowing you to step back to an earlier page whenever you want.
