Justice is supposed to be blind, but not when signing outsourcing contracts.
- Details
- Category: Analysis and Comment
- Published on Monday, 09 December 2013 09:40
- Written by Ripped-off Britons
A stark example of this unthinking wage-cutting was exposed by the House of Commons’Justice Committee inquiring into the Ministry of Justice's (MoJ) calamitous outsourcing: the provision of foreign language interpreters. Interpreters are required in courts and tribunals to help ensure non-English speaking defendants receive justice. Ironically interpreters are mainly freelance contractors - they are already 'private sector'. The MoJ seemed to simply want someone else to take on the task of cutting the interpreters' pay.
The startling incompetence with which the MoJ chose the outsourcer, Applied Language Solutions (ALS), had already been described in a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) in September 2012. The NAO observations suggest the MoJ seemed to take the “justice is blind” thing too literally. The NAO commentary reveals:
Capita is still struggling with court interpreters
- Details
- Category: HMCTS Interpreting Reports
- Published on Friday, 06 December 2013 15:59
- Written by Dagmar Cook, NRPSI 12721
I am a NRPSI Czech interpreter and I was contacted by Gateshead Magistrates' Court listings office at 4pm on Wednesday, 13th November 2013. They were in quite a panic. There was a hearing scheduled for 10am the following day and C(r)apita had let them down at the last minute stating that they were unable to provide a Czech interpreter at any of their 'levels of proficiency'.
It came to light that the Northumbria Police 'interpreter' who had been used by the police in this case had no language qualifications whatsoever and was certainly not registered with the NRPSI!
Oldham Evening Chronicle publishes an apology to RPSIs
- Details
- Category: News
- Published on Wednesday, 04 December 2013 13:18
- Written by Oldham Evening Chronicle
Oldham Evening Chronicle published an apology to NRPSI interpreters, featured on Page 2 on 02/12/2013
Court Interpreting in Northern Ireland: Structures and Costs
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- Category: News
- Published on Monday, 02 December 2013 19:35
- Written by dobitoc
Marc Starr, an RPSI, on the MoJ outsourcing and Capita's interpreting contract
- Details
- Category: Analysis and Comment
- Published on Sunday, 01 December 2013 19:57
- Written by pp Artist Taxi Driver
Marc Starr, a registered public service interpreter, talks about police and court interpreting, outsourcing of the service to Capita and the failures it resulted in.
The videos contain strong language.
More Articles...
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- Private Eye: Court Short
- Another story from a Capita interpreter throwing some light on what's going on behind the interpreting contract
- Interpreter disruption dragging on
- The Sunday Times: Justice is lost in translation turmoil
- Dame Ursula Brennan should account for the comments she made
- Bradford Crown Court judge hits out at interpreting service as case delayed again
- Interpreter complaints increasing and costing millions
- In local news this week... court interpreters
- Letter to Rt. Hon. Margaret Hodge MP