Interpreters for non-English-speaking benefit claimants cost taxpayers £27m

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/01/04/interpreters-benefit-claimants-cost-taxpayers-27m/

4 January 2025

Interpreters for non-English-speaking benefit claimants cost taxpayers £27m

Interpreters for benefits claimants have cost the taxpayer £27 million over the last five years, official figures show.

Telegraph analysis of data released under government transparency rules shows how Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spending on interpretation services has shot up since 2019.

The highest annual spend was in 2022, when the department spent £8 million on interpretation, rising from £1.7 million in 2019.

The cost of interpretation at DWP has fallen back but remains at record levels, costing the taxpayer £4 million in 2023.

Nearly a million calls to the DWP Universal Credit helpline required a foreign language interpreter last year. […]