In a letter published today, to
the Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt. Hon KC MP, the House of Lords Public Services
Committee has urged the Government to pause the
re-tendering process for the contract made with suppliers of
interpreting and translation services and address a number of
significant issues that have given it cause for concern.
In September 2024, the Committee launched an inquiry into
interpreting and translation services in courts. The inquiry
remains ongoing, with a report expected to be published in the
new year. However, the evidence heard and received by the
Committee so far, has identified various areas of concern that it
feels must be addressed as a matter of urgency before any new
contract for the provision of these services is agreed.
The letter has asked the Government to set out how the following
concerns will be addressed:
-
Remuneration – We are concerned that low pay
rates are driving interpreters out of the workforce and making
it an unattractive career. There is a lack of transparency of
pay across languages and geography. The current tender does not
include a minimum pay rate for interpreters which may encourage
companies to undercut each other during any subsequent bidding
process. Remuneration of interpreters where work is cancelled,
even at short notice, is also an issue not addressed in the new
tender.
-
Quality Assurance, performance data and
transparency – There are concerns about the
effectiveness of the quality assurance mechanisms for
interpreting services in courts. The Government's decision to
not publish information on the number of times problems with
interpreting services have been identified, their effect on
cases, and the low levels of engagement with existing complaint
mechanisms, means Parliament and the public cannot effectively
judge how well interpreting services in the courts are run.
-
Quality of interpreting in courts – The
Committee is not confident that the new tender delivers a plan
to ensure there is an appropriate number of skilled and
qualified interpreters. Although new qualification requirements
are set to be introduced, it believes that without such a plan,
the introduction of new qualification requirements will instead
lead to continued use of underqualified or off-contract
interpreters.
, Chair of the
Public Services Committee, said:
“Interpreting and translation services are vital in ensuring
equal access to justice for all court users regardless of what
language they speak.
“As the inquiry has progressed it's clear there are
significant issues that cannot be allowed to carry over into any
new contract. This is why we have asked the Government to pause
the current tendering process and set out how they will address
the concerns we have raised in our letter, such as remuneration,
the lack of data to ensure effective evaluation of services
provided and the quality and qualification of interpreters and
translators. There is nothing to be gained in continuing with
this tender process without addressing the issues identified.
Doing so would only result in locking in the existing problems
for the extended period that any fresh contract will be in
place.
“We urge the Government to follow our recommendation and look
forward to hearing how they will address the significant issues
we've highlighted.”
