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
You can manage these small files yourself and learn more about
them through "Internet browser cookies - what they are and how to
manage them" Find out more on the DirectGov website: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/SiteInformation/DG_196009
Our use of cookies
Cookies for improving service.
We use Google Analytics which sets cookies to help us accurately
estimate the number of visitors to the website and volumes of
usage. This to ensure that the service is available when you want
it and fast. Below is a list of the the cookies we use:
Name: _utma
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: 2 years
Name: _utmb
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: 30 minutes
Name: _utmc
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: when user exits browser
Name: _utmz
Typical content: randomly generated number + info on how the site
was reached (e.g. directly or via a link, organic search or paid
search)
Expires: 6 months
For further details on the cookies set by Google Analytics, please
refer to the
Google Code website[1]