Mr. Bernard Gloster:

We did two things, critically, in the strategy. First, we secured funding to retain the unfunded 4,000 posts we were carrying by virtue of both the pandemic and the overshot on recruitment in 2023. We secured the funding for that, and we locked in the control at 31 December of last year, plus new developments for this year, plus a couple of factors like taking over the hospices, section 38 agencies and so on. Essentially, we are now inside our target, and our target WTE for the end of the year is not greater on the health side - I am leaving out disability - than 129,000.

We are inside it now. We now have the control and the measure and therefore do not need to revert to the type of blanket measures we did last year. That control mechanism is now in place. Whatever about still having to deal with agency and overtime, which we are working on, I am very confident that, on the pay and numbers strategy, regardless of the debate about need, which is a different thing, the control environment that is in place as regards full-time employment is working. It allows people like Ms Queally the flexibility to make choices within their numbers but their number is their number. That is working. I have put in place a control mechanism that cannot be breached because there are only ten people in the country who can admit somebody to the payroll system.