23 February 2012
Speaking in tongues
Sometimes austerity measures just don’t work.
Take The Ministry of Justice’s court interpreter service. In late January it launched a new scheme that required courts to select interpreters from a single agency instead of from the National Register of Public Service Interpreters.
The planned saving? £18m.
Except it soon descended into chaos with long and expensive delays and many instances where interpreters simply weren’t up to the task - if they turned up at all, that is (see our previous story for details and debate).
So the MoJ has had to switch back to the old model (see story) where courts can pick their own interpreters. You know, the ones who could actually do the job.
A little bit of expertise? Priceless.
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