Cookie Policy

1. Current use of cookies

The public guidance pages and public enquiry forms currently do not intentionally set analytics, advertising or social-media tracking cookies. They can be read and submitted without accepting optional tracking. Basic server logs, request validation and the one-way abuse-prevention hash described in the Privacy Policy operate on the server and are not advertising cookies.

Strictly necessary cookies or equivalent storage may be used where required for security, network delivery, load management or authenticated staff access to the protected case console. These functions are not used to build an advertising profile. If an optional analytics, personalisation or marketing technology is introduced, it will remain disabled until the visitor has been given clear information and has provided any consent required by law.

2. Categories and status

3. Consent standard

Strictly necessary storage does not depend on consent where it is essential to provide a function expressly requested by the user or to protect the service. Optional storage is activated only after a freely given, specific and informed affirmative choice where consent is required. Optional categories are not pre-selected, refusal does not prevent access to public guidance, and withdrawal is made as easy as acceptance.

If optional cookies are added, the consent interface will identify the relevant categories and provide a settings control. Withdrawing consent will prevent future optional storage; it does not make prior consent-based processing unlawful.

4. How browser storage works

A cookie is a small text record placed on a browser or device by a website. A first-party cookie is set for the domain being visited; a third-party cookie is set through a separate provider. A session cookie normally expires when the browser session ends, while a persistent cookie remains until its stated expiry or earlier deletion. Similar technologies include local storage, software-development-kit identifiers and pixels. This policy applies to each of them when used for a comparable purpose.

5. Browser and device controls

Most browsers allow a user to inspect, block or delete cookies and site data. Blocking strictly necessary storage may prevent authenticated or security-sensitive functions from working, but it should not prevent reading the public guidance pages. Browser controls operate separately from any website consent control and may need to be set on each browser and device.

Where a browser sends a recognised privacy preference and applicable law requires it to be honoured, we treat it in accordance with that law and the technical capability available.

6. Changes to cookie use

We review this policy when the website's technology changes. A new non-essential provider will not be treated as authorised merely because it is described here: the required consent control must also be in place before activation. The updated policy will identify the effective date and, where practicable, the provider, purpose and retention period.