Cookies are used on this site purely 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 the site, so it can be made easier to use and there's enough capacity to ensure it is fast enough
We use Google Analytics to measure how many people use this site. We do this to make sure the site is meeting users' needs and to understand how we could improve it.
Google Analytics stores information about what pages you visit, how long you are on the site, how you got here and what you click on. We do not collect or store any personal information (e.g. your name or address) so this information cannot be used to identify who you are. We also do not allow Google to use or share our analytics data.
The following cookies are used by Google Analytics:
- _utma stores a randomly generated number for 2 years
- _utmb stores a randomly generated number for 30 minutes
- _utmc stores a randomly generated number until you close your browser
- _utmz stores a randomly generated number and anonymous information on how the site was reached (e.g. direct or via a link or a search) for 6 months
The following cookie is used to provide other normal website functions:
- asp.net_sessionid stores a randomly generated number until you close your browser
If you do not wish to accept any cookies on to your machine you can disable them by adjusting the settings on your browser. However, this is likely to adversely affect the functionality of websites you visit.
