Introduction
When we provide services, we want to make them easy, useful and reliable. Where services are delivered on the internet, this sometimes involves placing small amounts of information on your device, for example, computer or mobile phone. These include small files known as cookies. They cannot be used to identify you personally.
These pieces of information are used to improve services for you through, for example:
- enabling a service to recognise your device so you don't have to give the same information several times during one task
- recognising that you may already have given a username and password so you don't need to do it for every web page requested
- measuring how many people are using services, so they can be made easier to use and there's enough capacity to ensure they are fast
- analysing anonymised data to help us understand how people interact with government services so we can make them better
For more information see GOV.UK.
First-party cookies - Cookies for using our online services
Three cookies are set by our web servers to ensure that your session is maintained for the duration of your visit (until you close your web browser).
Cookie Name | Purpose | Typical Content | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
ASPSESSIONIDAAADCCTB | Enabling a service to recognise your device | Encrypted numeric ASP Session ID | Expires when browser session is closed |
ValidUser | Once you have logged on with username and password, so you don't have to do it for every Web page you request from our service | Text indicating your role in the feedback process | Expires when browser session is closed |
ONS | See list of Cookie Values Below | See list of Cookie Values Below | Expires when browser session is closed |
The first cookie contains an ASP Session ID assigned by our server and is created as soon as you visit the site.
The second cookie is called ValidUser and is created when you access a section of the site used to hold customer feedback forms via a direct link in a call closure email sent by our Service Desk team or by a login screen used internally to collate this feedback
The final cookie is called ONS and is created when you login to the online certificate ordering section of our website. It is used to manage the navigation process when placing an online order and contains some or all of the following information during the different steps in the ordering process.
Value Name (known as a Key) |
Purpose | Typical Content |
---|---|---|
ONSUser | Once you have logged on with username and password, so you don't have to do it for every Web page you request from our service | Encrypted numeric ID's |
USAGEPOLICIES | Once you have logged on with username and password, so you don't have to do it for every Web page you request from our service after accepting site usage policies | Encrypted numeric ID |
ORDER_ID | Once you have started an order, to identify your order to the system | Encrypted numeric ID |
APPLICATION_ID | Once you have started an application, to identify your application to the system | Encrypted numeric ID |
BASKET_CONTENT | Once you have logged on with username and password, to identify if you have added an order to your basket | Boolean Value Indicating the status of the user's basket |
WebAddress | In navigating our site, to identify to the system your current location in the ordering process | URL used to indicate the user's location in the ordering process |
ErrorSeverity | To understand where you may have difficulty in using the service, in order to make it easier in future for you to complete your task | Error Information Passed to Exception Report |
ErrorNumber | To understand where you may have difficulty in using the service, in order to make it easier in future for you to complete your task | Error Information Passed to Exception Report |
ErrorText | To understand where you may have difficulty in using the service, in order to make it easier in future for you to complete your task | Error Information Passed to Exception Report |
ErrorSource | To understand where you may have difficulty in using the service, in order to make it easier in future for you to complete your task | Error Information Passed to Exception Report |
Third-party cookies - Cookies for improving service and facilitating online payments
We use Google Analytics software to collect information about how you use the GRO website. We do this to help make sure the site is meeting the needs of its users and to help us make improvements.
Google Analytics stores information about:
- the pages you visit on the GRO website
- how long you spend on each GRO website page
- how you got to the GRO site
- what you click on while you're visiting the GRO site
We don't allow Google to use or share our analytics data.
Google Analytics sets the following cookies:
Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration |
---|---|---|
_ga | This helps us count how many people visit the GRO website by tracking if you've visited before | Expires after 2 years |
_gid | This helps us count how many people visit the GRO website by tracking if you've visited before | Expires after 24 hours |
_gat | Used to manage the rate at which page view requests are made | Expires after 10 minutes |
If you choose to disallow cookies via the banner on this site Google Analytics cookies will not be set on your device relating to usage of this site, if you wish to opt out of Google Analytics Cookies for all sites you visit Google provide add-ons for many popular browsers: Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
In order to allow you to pay via a Credit or Debit card when placing an order online, you are directed to a third party payment provider who process the secure financial transaction. The cookies used by WorldPay during this process are listed below:
Service | secure.worldpay.com |
---|---|
Cookie Name | JSESSIONID |
Cookie Name | machine |
Typical Content | Randomly generated number |
Purpose | Third party payment provider - When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use |
Third Party's Privacy Policy | http://www.worldpay.com/about_us/index.php?page=privacy&c=WW |
Duration | Expires when browser session is closed |
How to control and delete cookies
We will not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information about you.
However, if you wish to restrict or block the cookies which are set by our websites, or indeed any other website, you can do this through your browser settings. The 'Help' function within your browser should tell you how.
Please be aware that restricting cookies may impact on the functionality of our website.
If you wish to view your cookie code, just click on a cookie to open it. You'll see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that gave you the cookie.
For information on how to do this on the browser of your mobile phone you will need to refer to your handset manual.
To opt-out of third-parties collecting any data regarding your interaction on our website, please refer to their websites for further information.