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.
For Cookie Policy specific to UK visit Cookie Policy (UK).
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 Internet browser cookies – what they are and how to manage them on the DirectGov website. However please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.
Instructions for blocking cookies using browser settings can be found at How to control cookies on the AboutCookies.org website.
We use Google Analytics to analyse the use of our website and help us create a more useful and easy to use site. See our privacy statement for more information.