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:
You can manage these small files yourself and learn more about them through "Internet browser cookies - what they are and how to manage them" available on the DirectGov website.
Cookies required for the operation of our site
| Name | Purpose | Data in Cookie |
login | To remember your username and password to make it easier for you to log in again. Only set if you have logged on with a username and password; the password is only recorded if you ticked 'Remember me'. | typical content: your username and password expires: one year |
previoustheme | To remember the data source you selected on the dataset selection page in wizard / advanced queries so that when you return to that page the same source can be displayed again. Only set if you use advanced or wizard query. | typical content: our internal code number for the data source you selected e.g. "subgrp=&theme=24" indicates you had the claimant count source open. expires: midnight following the day you used the site |
SessionGUID | To allow us to remember the selections you make on the option pages in wizard / advanced queries (e.g. geographies, dates, variables) so that when you download data we can provide the correct data to you. | typical content: randomly generated text e.g. "{W0C4B36D -86EA -9F8S -A9DE -49B34615AFP5}" expires: midnight following the day you used the site |
prefs | To allow website pages to be customised in line with any settings you have specified on the preferences page in "my account". e.g. you may have specified a postcode to allow us to localise the geography selection pages. Only set if you have specified preferences. | typical content: a coded list of the selections you made on the preferences page. e.g. compdef12=100& preferredDatasetSelection=dsbytheme& preferredOutputFormat=htm& areaMnem=& noDefaults=& geogsort=geogname& embedqueryinterface=& xlsx=& recentQueryList=5& postcodeContext=DH1 3LE& alwaysUseMaps=no& recentDatasetList expires: 01 January 2038 00:00:00 |
Cookies for improving service
Google Analytics sets cookies to help us accurately estimate the number of visitors to the website and volumes of usage. This to ensure that the service is available when you want it and is fast.
Name: _utma
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: 2 years
Name: _utmb
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: 30 minutes
Name: _utmc
Typical content: randomly generated number
Expires: when user exits browser
Name: _utmz
Typical content: randomly generated number + info on how the site was reached (e.g. directly or via a link, organic search or paid search)
Expires: 6 months
For further details on the cookies set by Google Analytics, please refer to the Google Code website
0191 334 2680