ALS interpreters contract facing renewed scrutiny
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- Category: News
- Published on Thursday, 17 May 2012 07:08
- Written by Law Society Gazette
The deal between the Ministry of Justice and the private company contracted to provide court interpreters is to face scrutiny from parliamentary watchdogs, as cases continue to be disrupted by poor performance and non-attendance of interpreters.
Public spending watchdog the National Audit Office told the Gazette that it has received ‘a number of representations’ about the Applied Language Solutions contract from parties including members of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, and said it is ‘considering the matter’.
Meanwhile the Commons Justice Committee said it has received correspondence and is likely to ‘pursue the matter’, either as a standalone project or as part of a wider examination of the court service. In March, the committee questioned Peter Handcock, head of the court services, on the contract and what could happen if performance levels, which in its first week were quantified at just 40%, did not improve.
Southampton run into procurement conflict of interest issues
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- Category: News
- Published on Monday, 14 May 2012 13:34
- Written by PETER SMITH - Spend Matters
Interpreters campaign against outsourcing
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- Category: News
- Published on Saturday, 12 May 2012 10:03
- Written by View: The Public and Commercial Services Union
Threats to Justice
Interpreters are the only professionals who accompany defendants from beginning to end. It is a demanding, expert job, with cross-examination particularly testing as the translator has to compete with a number of voices.
Freelance translators are finding it increasingly difficult to work for the court service because of the rates they are paying in comparison with private translation work.
Professional interpreters of the National Register of Public Service Interpreters are campaigning against the Ministry of Justice’s outsourcing of interpreting and translation services to a single commercial agency. They are also angry that rates have dropped continually over the last four years.
David Radford, Resident Judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court, on current interpreting problems
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- Category: News
- Published on Wednesday, 09 May 2012 23:26
- Written by The London Criminal Courts Solicitors' Association
Interview with David Radford
HHJ Radford is resident judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court. He spoke to Malcolm Duxbury.
Q: Have you been having any difficulties with interpreters recently?
A: Yes, most certainly. In this building, we have been badly affected by the change to one contractor and I’ve ensured that the difficulties have been communicated to the senior presiding judge and to the management of the courts and tribunals service.
Indeed, I have personally spoken about them to Lord Justice Goldring.
The change was piloted, I understand, on one circuit, the Northern circuit, and it was thought that the change would not be problematical but they didn’t sufficiently have in mind the whole country. It was introduced without the full board approval of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, including the judicial representatives. I believe the contract is now being monitored on a weekly basis.