Cookies
What are 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, your 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:
- 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
How to Manage Cookies
- 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.
- Learn how to remove cookies set on your device
There are two types of cookie you may encounter when using our website:
First party cookies: these are our own cookies, controlled by us and used to provide information about usage of our site.
Third party cookies: these are cookies found in other companies’ internet tools which we are using to enhance our site, for example Facebook or Twitter have their own cookies, which are controlled by them.
First party cookies
| Name | Use | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| nf_wp_sessions | Security: Session tracking | Expires on exit | Randomised encrypted identifier used to track use of forms for an additional layer of security. |
| cookiebar | User: Hiding cookie warning bar | Expires on exit | Used to record that the user has seen the cookie warning bar, and has dismissed it. This is used to prevent the warning being shown when users navigate around the site. |
Third party cookies
| Name | Use | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| __utmc | Metrics: Google | Expires on exit | We use Google Analytics (a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc.) to track usage and activity on our site.Google stores this information on servers in the United States. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.By using this site, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google as outlined above. |
| __utmb | Metrics: Google | 30 mins | |
| __utmz | Metrics: Google | 6 months | |
| __utma | Metrics: Google | 2 years |
How to control and delete cookies
We will not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information about you.
However, if you wish to restrict or block the cookies which are set by our website, or indeed any other website, you can do this through your browser settings. The ‘Help’ function within your browser should tell you how.
Alternatively, you may wish to visit www.aboutcookies.org which contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of browsers. You will also find details on how to delete cookies from your machine as well as more general information about cookies.
Please be aware that restricting cookies may impact on the functionality of our website.
If you wish to view your cookie code, just click on a cookie to open it. You’ll see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that gave you the cookie.
For information on how to do this on the browser of your mobile phone you will need to refer to your handset manual.
To opt-out of third-parties collecting any data regarding your interaction on our website, please refer to their websites for further information.