Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when the contract with thebigword to provide interpreting and translation services in the criminal justice system will be reviewed.

The Language Services contracts commenced on 31 October 2016, with thebigword appointed as providers of spoken face to face, telephone and video interpretation as well as translation and transcription services.

The initial term of the contracts is four years with up to three one-year extensions available.

The initial term of the contracts with thebigword is due to expire on 30th October 2020. The first option to extend for one-year has been agreed for translation and transcription services, and has also been approved for spoken face to face, telephone and video interpretation services.

The future of the contract, including the possibility of further extensions, is currently being considered.