GOV.UK
Cookies
A cookie is a small piece of data that’s stored on your computer, tablet, or phone when you visit a website. Most websites need cookies to work properly.
How cookies are used in this service
This service uses them to:
- measure how you use the service so it can be improved
- remember the notifications you’ve seen so that you’re not shown them again
- temporarily store the answers you give
Find out more about how to manage cookies.
Cookies used to measure website usage
We use Google Analytics software to collect information about how you use this service. We do this to help make sure the service is meeting the needs of its users and to help us make improvements, for example improving site search.
Google Analytics stores information about:
- the pages you visit
- how long you spend on each page
- how you got to the service
- what you click on while you’re visiting the service
We allow Google to use or share our analytics data. You can find out more about how Google use this information in their privacy policy.
You can opt out of Google Analytics if you do not want Google to have access to your information.
Google Analytics sets the following cookies:
| Cookie name | What this cookie is for | Expires after |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | This helps us count how many people visit the service by tracking if you’ve visited before | 2 years |
| _gat | Manages the rate at which page view requests are made | 10 minutes |
Cookies used to turn our introductory message off
You may see a welcome message when you first visit the service. We’ll store a cookie so that your computer knows not to show this message again.
| Cookie name | What this cookie is for | Expires after |
|---|---|---|
| seen_cookie_message | Saves a message to let us know that you’ve seen our cookie message | 1 month |
Cookies used to store the answers you’ve given during your visit (known as a ‘session’)
Session cookies are stored on your computer as you travel through a website, and let the website know what you’ve seen and done so far. These are temporary cookies and are automatically deleted a short while after you leave the website.
| Cookie name | What this cookie is for | Expires after |
|---|---|---|
| connect.sid | Carries details of your current session | When you close your browser |
Cookies used to identify you when you come back to the service
We use authentication cookies to identify you when you return to the service.
| Cookie name | What this cookie is for | Expires after |
|---|---|---|
| __auth-token | Identifies you to the service | When you close your browser |
Cookies used to make the service more secure
We set cookies which prevent attackers from modifying the contents of the other cookies we set. This makes the service more secure and protects your personal information.
| Cookie name | What this cookie is for | Expires after |
|---|---|---|
| TS01842b02 | Protects your session from tampering | When you close your browser |
| __state | Identifies you to the service and secures your authentication | When you close your browser |
| _csrf | Helps protect against forgery | When you close your browser |
