Cookies
This service website puts small files (known as 'cookies') onto your computer.
These cookies are used to:
- help us understand how you use the website, so we can make improvements
- remember what notifications you've seen so you're not shown them more than once
- temporarily store the selections you make
Find out more about how to manage cookies.
Session cookies
We store session cookies on your computer to help keep your information secure while you use the service website. A session is the time you spend using the service website.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| .Assessors.Cookies, .Apply.Cookies | These are the authentication cookies | When you sign out or the session expires |
| .Assessors.Session, .Apply.Session | These cookies hold the session data | When you sign out or the session expires |
| .Assessors.AntiForgery, .Apply.AntiForgery | Ensure that only our website can send information to our servers | When you sign out or the session expires |
Measuring website usage
We use Google Analytics software to collect information about how you use the service website. This information helps us to improve the service.
We don't collect or store your personal information (for example, your name or address) so this information can't be used to identify who you are.
Google Analytics cookies
Google Analytics cookies collect and store information about:
- the pages you visit
- how you got to the service
- what you click on while you're visiting the website
We don't allow Google to use or share our analytics data, but you can opt out of analytics cookies.
Google Analytics sets the following cookies:
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | This cookie helps us understand how you have used the service | 2 years |
| _gat | Used to manage the rate at which page view requests are made | 10 minutes |
| _gid | This helps us track how many people visit the service website | 24 hours |
Introductory message cookie
You may see a pop-up welcome message when you first visit the service website. We'll store a cookie so that your computer knows you've seen it and knows not to show it again.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| seen_cookie_message | Saves a message to let us know that you've seen our cookie message | 1 month |
Messages across GOV.UK
We might display a message on all GOV.UK pages to tell you about an important event or situation. We'll save a cookie that will let us know how many times you've seen it, or if you've dismissed it.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| global_bar_seen | Remembers the number of times you've seen the message, or if you've dismissed it | 12 weeks |
Our performance survey
We select some users to take part in a performance survey. If you take part, or dismiss the survey, we'll save a cookie that lets us know you've seen the message so that we don't show it to you again.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| govuk_takenUserSatisfactionSurvey | Saves a message to remember if you've taken the survey or dismissed it | 4 months |
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.
| Name | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ASP.NET_SessionId, SX_X, _ga, _gat_X, _gid | We use SmartSurvey for the performance survey on this service website. For more information, please see SmartSurvey privacy information. |