What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that websites often store on the computer hard drives of visitors to their sites. They are widely used to make websites work, or work better, as well as to provide information to the site's owners. A cookie often contains a unique number, which can be used to recognise your computer when a user of your computer returns to a website that it visited previously.

How do we use cookies?
We use cookies to enhance our visitors' online experience and better understand our sites' use. Cookies may tell us, for example, whether you have visited our site before or whether you are a new visitor.

Types of cookies
There are two broad types of cookies - 'first-party cookies' and 'third-party cookies:

  • First-party cookies are cookies served directly by the website operator to your computer. They are often used to recognise your computer when it revisits that site and to remember your preferences as you browse the site.
  • Third-party cookies are served by a service provider on behalf of the website operator and can be used by the service provider to recognise your computer when it visits other websites. Third-party cookies are most commonly used for website analytics or advertising purposes.
  • In addition, cookies may be either 'session cookies' or 'persistent cookies'. Your computer automatically removes session cookies once you close your browser. Persistent cookies will survive on your computer until an expiry date specified in the cookie itself is reached.

Your rights
You have the right to choose whether to accept these cookies. You can exercise this right by amending or setting the controls on your browser to reflect your cookie preferences. However, please note that if you choose to refuse cookies you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.

Changing your cookie preferences
The "Help" menu in the toolbar of most web browsers will tell you how to change your browser's cookie settings, including how to have the browser notify you when you receive a new cookie, and how to disable cookies altogether. An online guide is available if you have difficulties trying to change your browser settings.