Cookies and the Law
This website uses cookies for the smooth and effective running of the site.
A cookie is a small text file that holds information that is stored on your computer and provides information to the website. For example when you move from page to page in a web browser a cookie may be used so that if you press the back button on the browser it knows where you came from.
There are three types of cookies used, these are:
First-Party Cookies
These are cookies that are set by the site you are visiting, for example our site provides accessibility functions that allow a user to set the size of text and contrast they prefer. These are set by this site and are therefore first party. First party cookies are also used when you log into a site and remembers that you are logged in as you move from page to page.
Third-Party Cookies
Some sites display adverts from other sources, all cookies set by the advertiser would be a third party cookie, because they are not set by the site you are on.
Session Cookies
Session cookies are important to store information on your currently opened website, they allow the website to recognize you when you visit another subpage. The cookies we use are primarily session cookies which are removed when you leave the site. These are permissible within the law.
You can set your browser to meet your own preferences, It is strongly recommended that you should always allow first party and session cookies.
We also use Google Analytics cookies on the site. These cookies do not store any personal information. They are used to provide analytical data. For example, we look to see how long, on average, people were looking at the site. How many pages, on average, did they look at. How many people from which town/country looked at our site. We use this information to improve the site and hopefully make it easier for people to find the information they are looking for.
The cookies we set are (this section will need to be tweaked for your site)
These are Tracking Cookies used by Google Analytics
NAME __utma
NAME __utmb
NAME __utmz
These are first party cookies used by the accessibility tools to keep the settings a user has set
NAME pagestyle
NAME textsize
These are Session cookies used by the site and are essential to the sites
operation
NAME SESS36e0f5f02fe61389b05321f85b514e9f
NAME __utmc
NAME has_js
If you are a registered user on the site and you log into the site, then additional cookies will be used to confirm that you are logged in.
More cookies information
www.ico.gov.uk – Information Commissioner’s Office
www.aboutcookies.org –OUTLAW website a resource from law firm Pinsent Masons
www.allaboutcookies.org – free resource to help people understand some of the issues surrounding the use of cookies
How to stop cookies
The first question is why do you want to stop cookies, on the whole cookies are useful and store information that helps the web site deliver a more effective service. Cookies do not provide personal identifiers.
If you need to log into any site then blocking cookies will interfere with the site and may stop it working altogether. If you do wish to block cookies then it is suggested that you should allow first party and session cookies as these are needed by the site. The best way to control cookies is at the browser First make sure you are using an up to date Browser.
Google Chrome is now the most installed browser.
Google Chrome
Adjust cookie and site data permissions
Click the wrench icon on the browser toolbar.
Select Settings.
Click Show advanced settings.
In the "Privacy" section, click the Content settings button.
In the "Cookies" section, you can change the following cookies settings:
* Delete cookies
* Block cookies by default
* Allow cookies by default
* Keep cookies and site data by default until you quit your browser
* Make exceptions for cookies from specific websites or domains
Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox button, and then click Options and select the Privacy panel.
Accept cookies from sites to enable Cookies, and uncheck it to disable them.
Choose how long cookies are allowed to be stored:
* Keep until: they expire: Each cookie will be removed when it reaches its expiration
date, which is set by the site that sent the cookie.
* Keep until: I close Firefox: The cookies that are stored on your computer will be
removed when Firefox is closed.
* Keep until: ask me every time: Displays an alert every time a website tries to send a
cookie, and asks you whether or not you want to store it.
Click OK to close the Options window
Internet Explorer 9
Click on the Tools icon on the very right at the top and then on Internet Options: at the top
switch to the tab Privacy and click on the Advanced button:
Now, you can Allow or Block First-Party Cookies and Third-Party Cookies. Additionally you
can always enable Session Cookies.
