Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department has issued to NHS trusts on providing appropriate cost estimates and advice and assistance under Section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 when responding to re
Answer (holding answer)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Verdict: RED (5/100) DEFERRED
The reply is a holding response: it says the question cannot be answered within the usual time limit and that an answer is being prepared. Neither part of the question is substantively answered. The guidance to NHS trusts on cost estimates and the Section 16 advice-and-assistance guidance are both deferred, with no description of their content. The person who asked would need to wait for the full answer or submit a follow-up.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What guidance the Department has issued to NHS trusts on providing appropriate cost estimates when responding to Freedom of Information requests | Deferred | Generic | The reply is a holding response: it says the question cannot be answered within the usual time period and that an answer is being prepared. It says nothing about the guidance issued to NHS trusts on cost estimates, so the substantive answer is deferred and the item is not engaged with in content. |
| What guidance the Department has issued to NHS trusts on providing advice and assistance under Section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 when responding to Freedom of Information requests | Deferred | Generic | The same holding statements apply: the reply defers the answer on Section 16 advice-and-assistance guidance to NHS trusts without describing any guidance, so the item is deferred and not substantively addressed. |