Cookie policy

What Are Cookies?
Cookies are stored on your computer and are very small text files that save when you visit some websites.
We use cookies to make our website easier for you to use. If you wish you can remove any cookies already stored on your computer, but these may prevent you from using certain parts of our website.

How cookies are used on this site?

We want to make the services we provide, easy, useful and reliable. Where services are delivered on the internet, this sometimes involves placing a small amount of information on your device, for example your computer or mobile phone. These include small files known as "cookies". We do not use these to identify you personally, or to hold any personal data.

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 the same task
• recognising that you may already have provided a username and password so that you don't need to keep entering these into every web page when requested
• measuring how many people are using our services so they can be improved and there is enough capacity to ensure that they are fast

If you know how you can easily manage these small files yourself. You can find guidance on managing cookies on the Directgov website.

Cookies used by this service

There are two types of cookie:

Persistent cookies remain on your computer for a specified time and so are saved to your computer's hard disk. We use persistent cookies to:

• identify that a registered user has returned
• securely remember your login User ID - only if you have asked us to do so
• understand how you use our site and obtain information on website usage - as described above

Session cookies are deleted when you close your browser and are usually not saved to your computer's hard disk. We use session cookies to:

• hold some types of non-private information you provide while using an interactive tool on the website
• identify that you have logged in to the site
• hold your search criteria while you are still carrying out a search of the website
• collect information on website usage - as described above