Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the total number in the NHS of (a) people with a bank staff contract and (b) bank-only staff at the most recent date for which data are available.
Answer
The information is not held centrally in the form requested.
Verdict: AMBER (65/100) DATA NOT HELD
The reply says the department does not hold the requested figures centrally in the form asked for, covering both the total number of bank-contract staff and the bank-only staff figure. That is a complete and honest answer to what was asked, so the question is closed rather than evaded. However, the reply gives no alternative figures or partial breakdown, so the asker gets no substantive data and may want to ask whether any related information is available.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the total number of people in the NHS with a bank staff contract at the most recent date for which data are available? | Data Not Held | Generic | The reply states that the information is not held centrally in the form requested, which honestly explains the absence of a total for bank-contract staff. It gives no figures or related data, so the substitute is weak, but it does not misread the question. |
| What is the total number of bank-only staff in the NHS at the most recent date for which data are available? | Data Not Held | Generic | The same single statement says the information is not held centrally in the form requested, which addresses the bank-only staff total by explaining its absence. No bank-only figure or related breakdown is offered, so the substitute is generic. |