Cookies
Cookies are small files saved on your phone, tablet or computer when you visit a website. We use cookies to make this site work and collect information about how you use our service.
Essential cookies
Essential cookies keep your information secure while you use the service. We do not need to ask permission to use them.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| sid | Used for authentication | 2 hours rolling, deleted on sign out, only exists when signed in |
| session | Used to store session data | 5 days, resets when browser is closed and when signing in or out |
Introductory cookie message
You may see a pop-up welcome message when you first visit. A cookie is stored so that your computer knows you've seen it and knows not to show it again.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| accept_analytics_cookies | Lets us know you've already seen our cookie message | 12 months |
Analytics cookies (optional)
With your permission, we use Google Analytics to collect data about how you use this service.
This information helps us to improve our service.
Google is not allowed to use or share our analytics data with anyone.
Google Analytics stores anonymised information about:
- how you got to the service
- the pages you visit here and how long you spend on them
- what you click on while you're using the service
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | Used to identify unique users and inform referring sites, visitor and session counts. | 2 years |
| _gid | Used to identify unique users and inform referring sites, visitor and session counts. | 24 hours |
| _gat_govuk_shared | Used to protect the Google Analytics server by limiting the number of requests being made. | 1 minute |
Performance survey cookies
We use SmartSurvey to collect responses to the survey. If you take part, SmartSurvey will save extra cookies to your computer to track your progress through it.
Please see the SmartSurvey privacy information and the SmartSurvey cookies guide for more information.