Valerie questions Minister about the failings of outsourced court interpreters

On Tuesday 15 May 2012, at Justice Oral Questions, Valerie Vaz, MP for Walsall South, asked the Justice Minister, Crispin Blunt MP, about the performance of the outsourced court interpreters, Applied Language Solutions (ALS).

Valerie Vaz MP said: 

“Previously, courts were able to select interpreters from the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). However, since ALS were awarded the Government contract to provide all court interpreting services in January 2012, there have been numerous stories of long delays and instances where interpreters were late, underprepared, underqualified or failed to turn up at all. This has resulted in a number of hearings being adjourned and could lead to legal challenges and miscarriages of justice.

“I met with  interpreters from the West Midlands at my surgery who gave me a dossier of evidence which raises concerns about the administration of justice as a result of the substandard nature of the service provided by ALS. I have today written to the Lord Chancellor and enclosed this dossier. I urge him to act on the findings.”

You can read the exchange in Hansard by clicking here.