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, and JavaScript code.
They cannot be used to identify you personally.
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Why do we need to use cookies?
These pieces of information are used to improve services for you, for example, by:
- enabling a service to recognise your device so you don't have to give the same information several times during one task
- measuring how many people are using our website, so it can be made easier to use and there is enough capacity to ensure it is fast, and will work on your browser.
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How to refuse to accept cookies
You may refuse to accept our cookies by activating the setting on your browser which allows you to refuse the setting of cookies. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our site.
Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you visit our site.
For more information on deleting and controlling cookies visit AboutCookies.org.
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How to disable Javascript
Similarly you can set up your browser to disable JavaScript – please see your browser's help pages for instructions on how to do this. If you choose to disable Javascript, the core functionality of our website will still work, but you will have a less enhanced browsing experience.
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Cookies that may be placed onto your browsing device
There are three types of cookies that may be placed onto your browsing device whilst visiting our website:
- Cookies used by Google Analytics
- Cookies to improve your browsing experience
- Third party cookies
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Cookies used by Google Analytics
Google Analytics sets cookies to help us accurately estimate the number of visitors to our website and volumes of usage. This is to ensure that we provide a fast service that is available when you want it. You may wish to visit Google's Privacy Center.
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Cookies for improving your browsing experience
The software we use to publish our website may put cookies onto your browsing device.
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Third party cookies
Third party cookies that may be used on various pages throughout the site include cookies from AddThis which are used to customise your social media sharing options on the site.
If you go on to a webpage that contains embedded content, for example from YouTube, a cookie might be placed onto your device from this website.
We don't control the setting of these cookies, so we suggest you check the third-party websites for more information about their cookies and how to manage them.
Please note that we are not responsible for the content of external websites.