Cookie Policy

How do we use cookies?

When we provide services, we want to make them easy, useful and reliable. Where services are delivered on the internet, this sometimes involves placing small amounts of information on your device, for example, computer or mobile phone. These include small files known as cookies. They cannot be used to identify you personally.

These pieces of information are used to improve services for you through, for example:

• enabling a service to recognise your device so you don't have to give the same information several times during one task
• recognising that you may already have given a username and password so you don't need to do it for every web page requested
• measuring how many people are using services, so they can be made easier to use and there's enough capacity to ensure they are fast
• analysing anonymised data to help us understand how people interact with govt services so we can make them better

You can manage these small files and learn more about them from the article, Internet Browser cookies- what they are and how to manage them http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/SiteInformation/DG_197506?CID=Central&PLA=url_mon&CRE=managing_cookies

If you'd like to learn how to remove cookies set on your device, visit: http://www.aboutcookies.org/Default.aspx?page=1 'Our use of cookies'

'First party' cookies

First party cookies, are cookies which are set by 'this' website. These have been broken down into the two categories below.

Necessary cookies

These are cookies required for our website to display and function correctly.
Follow this link to see the necessary cookies we use.

Functional cookies

These are cookies that enhance the functionality of this website, by automatically storing your chosen preferences.
Follow this link to see the functional cookies we use.

'Third party' cookies

Analytic and social media cookies

These cookies allow services such as Google Analytic to collect information about how people use this site. We do this to make sure it's meeting its users' needs and to understand how we could do it better. We do not collect or store your personal information (e.g. your name or address) so this information cannot be used to identify who you are.
Follow this link to see the analytic and social media cookies we use.