Providing services via our websites means that we sometimes need to place small amounts of information on your device. This is stored in small text files that are known as cookies. Most websites do this to improve how they work and respond to you. For example, cookies may allow the website to:

• remember settings, so you don't have to keep selecting these on each new page
• remember information you've given, so you don't need to keep entering it
• measuring how you use the website, so we can make sure it meets your needs

Our cookies aren't used to identify you personally - they just make the site work better for you. You can manage and/or delete these small files as you wish.

To learn more about cookies and how to manage them, visit the About Cookies website.

Necessary cookies

We use cookies to provide some of the more complex functions on our websites. For example, on pages that are more interactive such as those with an online form. In these instances, cookies are essential for them to work. They don't contain any personal information and can't be used to identify you.

Analytical cookies

We also use cookies to see how you use our website, so we can make sure it's meeting your needs. They can also tell us about things we may need to change to make it better. To do this we use Google Analytics, which gathers details about the pages you visit. This may include:

• how long you remain on each page
• how you got to each page (eg via a search or through our menus)
• what you click on or tap when you're on a page

This information can't be used to identify you. We don't collect or store any personal details, such as your name, address or IP address.

We also use inferred anonymous demographic data to help us improve our services. To do this we've enabled the Google Analytics advertising cookie, but our website doesn't use any of these details for advertising purposes. For more advice read the Google policy on advertising cookies.

You can opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites (not just ours) using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Cookies we use

You can find the names of cookies we use on our website and self-service portal, their purpose and when they expire, below.

Changing your cookie preferences

You can change your cookie preferences for our website by selecting the cookie control tool icon in the bottom left corner of your screen.