Our use of cookiesOur use of 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, 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 on the Directgov website.  

Our use of cookies

Cookies for improving service

1. Google Analytics sets cookies to help us accurately estimate the number of visitors to the website and volumes of usage. This is to ensure that the service is available when you want it and fast.

Name:  _utma
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: 2 years

Name: _utmb
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: 30mins

Name: _utmc
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: At end of session

Name: _utmz
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: 6 months

2. sIFR (or Scalable Inman Flash Replacement) sets cookies to prevent needless pre-fetching. 

Name: sifrFetch
Typical content: set to true
Expires: At end of session

3. PHPSESSID sets cookeis once you have logged on with your username and password, so you don't have to do it for every web page you request from our service.

Name: PHPSESSID
Typical content: randomly generated numbers and letters
Expires: At end of session

4. Apache is an ordinary session cookie set by the Apache server to remember your selections or preferences that you've already made when looking at information or using a service.

Name: Apache
Typical content: Viewers IP address plus random numbers
Expires: At end of session