"Essential" cookies let you move around the website and use essential features like secure areas and online billing. These cookies don't gather any information about you that could be used for marketing or remembering where you've been on the internet.
| Name | Description | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| Apache | This cookie is set to provide a unique identification of the User and is passed back to the server with each subsequent request. The cookie allows us to distinguish between requests from multiple Users vs. multiple requests from the same User. The information is used by many features of the Content Management System as well as the systems responsible for protecting the website from abuse (e.g. a Denial of Service attack). | one "session" (i.e. until the browser is closed) |
| cookie_option_shown | This cookie controls whether the "privacy options" tab has been shown to the User. The tab appears only once per session on the first page that the User lands on. | one "session" (i.e. until the browser is closed) |
| privacy_preference | This cookie is set to record the fact that a User has opted to disable cookies. | 1 year from set/update. |
| privacy_cookie_status | This cookie is set to record the fact that a User has opted to enable cookies. | 1 year from set/update. |
| cms_device | This cookie detects what type of device is being used so that the user experience can be tailored accordingly. | 6 months from set/update. |
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use our website. It sets first-party cookies that assign each browser a randomly generated client ID, so that we can measure visits, sessions and the general performance of the site. This client ID does not tell us your name or contact details, but it is treated as personal data under UK data protection law and is only set with your consent. For more information see Google's Privacy & Terms.
| Name | Description | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | Set by Google Analytics 4 to distinguish users by assigning a randomly generated client ID. Used to calculate visitor, session and campaign data. | 2 years (browsers commonly cap first-party cookies at around 13 months, so the effective lifespan is often shorter) |
| _ga_<container-id> | Set by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state for this property, so that page views within a single visit are grouped into one session. | 2 years (similarly capped in practice) |
| _gid | Set by Google Analytics 4 to distinguish users on a daily basis by assigning a randomly generated client ID. Used to measure engagement time and session data. Present on some configurations only. | 24 hours |
| _gat_gtag_<id>, _dc_gtm_<GTM-id> | Set by Google to throttle the rate at which requests are made. Present on some configurations only. | 1 minute |
| Name | Description | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| _hjSessionUser_{site_id}, _hjid | Set by Hotjar to assign a unique identifier to the visitor. Used to recognise returning visitors across sessions and ensure that behavioural data from multiple visits is attributed to the same user. More information from Hotjar. | 365 days |
| _hjSession_{site_id}, _hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress | Set by Hotjar to hold current session data and detect the first page view of a session. Ensures that activity within a session window is grouped together and attributed correctly. | 30 minutes |
| _hjIncludedInPageviewSample, _hjIncludedInSessionSample | Set by Hotjar to determine whether the visitor falls within the data sampling limits configured for the site. Used to control how much data is collected relative to the site's plan. | 30 minutes |
| _hjFirstSeen | Set by Hotjar to identify whether this is the visitor's first session on the site. Used to filter recordings by new versus returning users. | Session |
| _hjViewportId | Set by Hotjar to store the visitor's viewport size and dimensions. Used to correctly render session recordings and heatmaps. | Session |
| _hjSessionTooLarge, _hjSessionRejected, _hjSessionResumed | Set by Hotjar to manage the connection between the visitor's browser and Hotjar's servers. Used to handle session size limits, server capacity, and reconnections mid-session. | Session |
| _hjUserAttributesHash, _hjCachedUserAttributes | Set by Hotjar to cache visitor attributes passed via the Hotjar Identify API. Used to detect when attributes have changed and to store them temporarily for use with Hotjar Feedback tools. | Session |
| _hjClosedSurveyInvites, _hjDonePolls, _hjMinimizedPolls, _hjShownFeedbackMessage | Set by Hotjar to remember how the visitor has interacted with Hotjar surveys and feedback widgets. Prevents the same survey or widget from reappearing after it has been completed, dismissed, or minimised. | 365 days |
| _hjLocalStorageTest, _hjTLDTest | Set by Hotjar briefly on page load to test browser storage capabilities and determine the correct cookie domain to use across subdomains. Both are deleted almost immediately after being created. | Under 100ms / Session |