17 December 2020
Criminal court statistics quarterly: July to September 2020
Thursday, 17 December 2020
Thursday, 3 December 2020
PQ: 3rd December 2020
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2020-11-19.HL10503.h
Migrant Workers: Interpreters and Teachers
Home Office written question – answered on 3rd December 2020.
Baroness Coussins Crossbench
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter from the Home Secretary to the Migration Advisory Committee, published on 23 October, on what evidence they based their decision "not to immediately accept the recommendations" contained in the report by the Migration Advisory Committee Review of the Shortage Occupation List: 2020, published on 29 September, that teachers of modern foreign languages and interpreters be included on the Shortage Occupations List.
Baroness Williams of Trafford The Minister of State, Home Department
The recent review of the Shortage Occupation Lists (SOL) was commissioned at a time when the main variable under consideration was the broadening of the skills requirement to include RQF level 3-5 occupations.
The UK labour market has changed dramatically due to the economic impacts of the measures necessary to tackle Covid-19. Many UK based workers now face an uncertain future and need to find new employment opportunities. The Government is clear our migration policies need to be considered alongside our strategies for the UK labour market.
Whilst we have considered carefully the possible impacts of the new immigration system, additional variables such as Covid-19 require closer examination. To avoid taking a piecemeal approach to implementing the MAC’s advice, we need time to monitor the various influences on migration flows and the labour market, including introduction of a new immigration system, and whether this is in line with our anticipated outcomes, before considering which changes are required.
Tuesday, 1 December 2020
PQ: 1st December 2020
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2020-11-19.HL10504.h
General Practitioners: Interpreters
Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered on 1st December 2020.
Baroness Coussins Crossbench
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have provided guidanceto GP practices about the responsibility to provide personal protect equipment to public service interpreters who are needed for face-to-face patient appointments; and if not, what plans they have to provide such guidance immediately.
Lord Bethell The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care
We expect personal protective equipment (PPE) to be made available for interpreters working across any healthcare setting, including in general practice, when delivering face to face services. Public Health England publish extensive guidance on infection prevention and control which sets out the PPE that should be used when providing clinical/personal care. The standard operating procedures issued to general practice reference this guidance and also sets out additional guidance on the provision of services to people requiring interpreters and/or translation provision.
Friday, 27 November 2020
The National Police Dynamic Purchasing System for Language Services
The National Police Dynamic Purchasing System for Language Services
https://www.npcc.police.uk/NationalPolicing/NationalPoliceDynamicPurchasingSy.aspx
Tuesday, 24 November 2020
PQ: 24th November 2020
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/london/?id=2020-11-24.2833.h
Translation services
Questions to the Mayor of London – answered on 24th November 2020.
Susan Hall Conservative
For each of the following financial years, Apr 2015 to Mar 2016, Apr 2016 to Mar 2017, Apr 2017 to Mar 2018, Apr 2018 to Mar 2019, and Apr 2019 to Mar 2020, how much has been spent on translation services across the GLA?
Sadiq Khan Mayor of London
GLA
Financial Year
Spend
Apr 2015 to Mar 2016
£15,900
Apr 2016 to Mar 2017
£7,000
Apr 2017 to Mar 2018
£3,800
Apr 2018 to Mar 2019
£4,600
Apr 2019 to Mar 2020
£15,500
Financial Year
Spend
Apr 2015 to Mar 2016
£3,158
Apr 2016 to Mar 2017
£8,749
Apr 2017 to Mar 2018
£5,044
Apr 2018 to Mar 2019
£6,874
Apr 2019 to Mar 2020
£16,380
The LLDC does not use translation services.
Financial Year
Spend
Apr 2015 to Mar 2016
6,880,847.20
Apr 2016 to Mar 2017
6,459,256.08
Apr 2017 to Mar 2018
5,726,782.09
Apr 2018 to Mar 2019
5,038,222.00
Apr 2019 to Mar 2020
6,077,893.21
N.B.: We have assumed the request was for all costs for language provision and therefore have included the costs for Interpreters (spoken word) and Translation (written word) and Telephone Interpreting (which includes 999 calls to CCC Met Call from Jan 2017).
OPDC has not incurred any expenditure on translation services since April 2015.
Financial Year
TFL
Apr 2015 to Mar 2016
£39,971.20
Apr 2016 to Mar 2017
£69,786.87
Apr 2017 to Mar 2018
£51,490.59
Apr 2018 to Mar 2019
£35,606.84
Apr 2019 to Mar 2020
£56,756.95
Monday, 23 November 2020
PQ: 23rd November 2020
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2020-11-16.115701.h
Asylum: Interviews
Home Office written question – answered on 23rd November 2020.
Stuart McDonald Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Immigration, Asylum and Border Control), Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Attorney General)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she will take to ensure asylum interviews of persons applying for refugee status on grounds of sexual orientation are not affected by the potential views and prejudices of interpreters present at the interview.
Priti Patel The Secretary of State for the Home Department
All interpreters are subject to qualification checks when joining the Home Office interpreter panel and performance is regularly monitored and assessed. Interpreters are also governed by a Code of Conduct that clearly sets out requirements and expectations. Any breaches of standards are rigorously investigated, assessed and appropriate action taken.
A revised version of the Code of Conduct was published in November 2020. We are also in the process of revising our sexual orientation guidance for caseworkers, which will highlight and enhance these requirements.
Code of conduct: interpreters working for UK Visas and Immigration
Wednesday, 11 November 2020
LGBT+ people seeking asylum in the UK face mockery and derision from interpreters, damning report warns
https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/11/11/lgbt-people-asylum-interpreters-home-office-report/
11 November 2020
LGBT+ people seeking asylum in the UK face mockery and derision from interpreters, damning report warns
The report from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, published on Wednesday (November 11), flagged concerns about the way people seeking asylum on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity are treated during Home Office processes.
According to the report, stakeholders had raised concerns that “interpreter bias” has a large impact on applications among LGBT+ asylum claimants.
It warns: “One [stakeholder] argued that this was particularly prevalent in LGBTQI+ claims, with applicants reporting interpreters using derogatory slang and making judgements, which impacted the confidence of applicants.
“Another referred to reports from LGBTQI+ applicants about interpreters ‘mistranslating, rebuking or judging people, or being dismissive of their fears such as the death penalty’.
“There were concerns that applicants could feel inhibited about talking about their claim which could affect the decision.”
According to the report, the Home Office’s Asylum Operations unit had “confirmed stakeholders’ concerns, commenting that with some LGBTQI+ claims they could ‘feel the tension’ between the applicant and interpreter.”
Read more here: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/11/11/lgbt-people-asylum-interpreters-home-office-report/
An inspection of the Home Office’s use of language services in the asylum process
11 November 2020
An inspection of the Home Office’s use of language services in the asylum process
A response to an inspection of the Home Office’s use of language services in the asylum process
11 November 2020
A response to an inspection of the Home Office’s use of language services in the asylum process
Tuesday, 10 November 2020
"no interpreter attended"
10th November 2020
No interpreter attended court at two separate hearings, meaning no plea could be taken until today. […] Last month when no interpreter was present, judge Ashworth said he would speak to the appropriate person to explain it was ‘completely inappropriate’ that contractor Big Word did not provide someone. At the hearing on October 20 he said it was ‘very bad news’ the case was delayed.
Monday, 9 November 2020
NUBSLI raise concerns over the conduct of Language Empire
https://uniteforoursociety.org/blog/nubsli-raise-concerns-over-the-conduct-of-language-empire/
9th November 2020
NUBSLI raise concerns over the conduct of Language Empire
The National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters (NUBSLI), which is part of Unite the union, is writing to NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCG) in the north west of England after the interpreting provider Language Empire was ordered to pay £240,000 in damages over masquerading as a competitor to win contracts with the NHS, police forces and civil service. […]
Read more here: https://uniteforoursociety.org/blog/nubsli-raise-concerns-over-the-conduct-of-language-empire/
Thursday, 29 October 2020
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