Friday 29 December 2017

PQ: 29th December 2017

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2017-12-19.120475.h

Courts: Interpreters
Ministry of Justice written question – answered on 29th December 2017.

Richard Burgon Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, since the contract out of services to provide interpreters to all courts what the estimated number of unfulfilled or cancelled cases was in each year in (a) England and Wales and (b) each region.

Phillip Lee The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice
We do not collect the relevant data for all jurisdictions and types of hearings in which interpreters are used. However, information on the number of trials listed in the criminal courts which were adjourned (ineffective) due to interpreter availability was published in Criminal Court Statistics until 2016 and is now available at https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/crown-court-information/.

The breakdown for England and Wales is set out below:

Crown Courts
Magistrates’ Courts
Year
Number of trials
Adjourned due to interpreter availability
% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availability
Number of trials
Adjourned due to interpreter availability
% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availability
2012
38,432
34
0.1%
156,671
608
0.4%
2013
33,669
37
0.1%
155,087
591
0.4%
2014
35,974
26
0.1%
158,984
524
0.3%
2015
39,035
23
0.1%
162,668
474
0.3%
2016
37,339
30
0.1%
149,423
495
0.3%
2017*
25,451
24
0.1%
105,558
319
0.3%
* data to September 2017
This can be further broken down by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service region:


Crown Courts
Magistrates’ Courts
Year
Region
Number of trials
Adjourned due to interpreter availability
% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availability
Number of trials
Adjourned due to interpreter availability
% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availability
2012
London
10,632
16
0.2%
35,410
270
0.8%

Midlands
5,425
4
0.1%
26,570
94
0.4%

North East
5,450
3
0.1%
22,532
59
0.3%

North West
5,334
3
0.1%
23,909
58
0.2%

South East
6,654
5
0.1%
26,236
95
0.4%

South West
3,310
2
0.1%
13,850
18
0.1%

Wales
1,827
1
0.1%
8,164
14
0.2%

2013
London
9,151
14
0.2%
36,866
259
0.7%

Midlands
4,878
6
0.1%
25,170
102
0.4%

North East
5,067
6
0.1%
23,088
74
0.3%

North West
4,625
3
0.1%
21,783
40
0.2%

South East
5,614
5
0.1%
26,834
76
0.3%

South West
2,718
3
0.1%
12,850
27
0.2%

Wales
1,616
0
0.0%
8,496
13
0.2%

2014
London
9,202
11
0.1%
35,715
222
0.6%

Midlands
5,156
3
0.1%
27,397
87
0.3%

North East
5,498
3
0.1%
22,572
65
0.3%

North West
5,219
1
0.0%
22,747
38
0.2%

South East
6,390
7
0.1%
27,892
78
0.3%

South West
2,947
1
0.0%
14,283
28
0.2%

Wales
1,562
0
0.0%
8,378
6
0.1%

2015
London
10,161
4
0.0%
36,743
175
0.5%

Midlands
5,532
1
0.0%
27,722
78
0.3%

North East
5,504
3
0.1%
22,697
43
0.2%

North West
5,448
1
0.0%
22,335
48
0.2%

South East
7,357
7
0.1%
29,671
87
0.3%

South West
3,286
6
0.2%
15,303
34
0.2%

Wales
1,747
1
0.1%
8,197
9
0.1%

2016
London
10,055
12
0.1%
34,074
200
0.6%

Midlands
5,389
4
0.1%
28,295
75
0.3%

North East
5,444
2
0.0%
21,553
61
0.3%

North West
4,943
1
0.0%
20,307
52
0.3%

South East
6,986
8
0.1%
26,173
75
0.3%

South West
2,802
2
0.1%
11,396
27
0.2%

Wales
1,720
1
0.1%
7,625
5
0.1%

2017*
London
6,596
7
0.1%
22,922
134
0.6%

Midlands
4,183
3
0.1%
19,572
41
0.2%

North East
4,056
4
0.1%
14,747
27
0.2%

North West
3,393
3
0.1%
15,528
48
0.3%

South East
4,944
4
0.1%
18,751
35
0.2%

South West
2,093
3
0.1%
8,504
24
0.3%

Wales
1,186
0
0.0%
5,534
10
0.2%
* data to September 2017
The department continues to monitor its language service services contract closely with the suppliers to drive improvements and reduce the cost on the taxpayer.