Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, there will be a continued commitment to the right of interpretation services in the criminal justice system, on the same terms as currently guaranteed under the EU Directive on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
As the Prime Minister has said we will not be providing a running commentary on the negotiations with regards to the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many court cases have had to be rescheduled in each of the last five years because of problems with the interpreting or translating services required; and what was the additional cost incurred in each year as a result of such rescheduling.
Answered by Lord Faulks
Information on the number of trials listed in the criminal courts which were adjourned (ineffective) due to interpreter availability is published in Criminal Court Statistics; the relevant extract is set out below.
| Crown Courts | Magistrates’ Courts | ||||
Year | Number of trials | Adjourned due to interpreter availability | % of trials adjourned due to interpreter availability | Number of trials | Adjourned due to interpreter availability | % of trials adjourned due to interpreter availability |
2011 | 41,412 | 17 | 0.0% | 166,808 | 327 | 0.2% |
2012 | 38,432 | 34 | 0.1% | 156,671 | 608 | 0.4% |
2013 | 33,669 | 37 | 0.1% | 155,087 | 591 | 0.4% |
2014 | 35,974 | 26 | 0.1% | 158,984 | 524 | 0.3% |
2015 | 39,036 | 23 | 0.1% | 162,668 | 474 | 0.3% |
Associated costs for rescheduling such cases are not recorded.
The department continues to monitor the language services contract closely and work with the supplier to further drive improvements and reduce the cost on the taxpayer.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of the current United Kingdom law with the European Union Directives on the right to information in criminal proceedings, and on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings.
Answered by Lord Faulks
The UK Government opted into these Directives, on 22 October 2010 and on 8 March 2010 respectively, and in transposing them into domestic law undertook careful analysis of the state of the existing law and whether any new measures were required to ensure compliance. As a result of this assessment, in England and Wales transposition included several new legislative measures, subsequently approved by Parliament, and the Devolved Administrations made similar arrangements. A full transposition table was provided to the European Commission as is normal practice. As with all Directives, the Government keeps compliance under review.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to their response to the <i>Independent Review of Quality Arrangements under the MoJ Language Services</i><i>Framework Agreement</i>, published by Optimity Matrix in December 2014, what progress has been made in discussions with the National Register of Public Services Interpreters on the development of an independent regulatory framework.
Answered by Lord Faulks
This Government is committed to providing a standard of interpreter that meets the needs of those requiring support in the justice system.
Provision in interpretation and translation services across courts and tribunals is being explored in preparation for the end of the current contracts in October 2016. As part of this work, Ministry of Justice officials have met with representatives from a range of stakeholders, including the National Register of Public Service Interpreters.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the timetable and process will be for reviewing, publishing and awarding the contract for the provision of court interpreters, when the current contract expires at the end of 2016.
Answered by Lord Faulks
Provision of interpretation and translation services across courts and tribunals is being explored in preparation for the end of the current contracts in October 2016. A competition to retender the contract is expected to be launched in due course.