PQ: 29 January 2026

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2026-01-08.104355.h

Asylum: Translation Services

Home Office written question – answered at on 29 January 2026.

Rupert Lowe Independent, Great Yarmouth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the total annual cost of interpretation and translation services for asylum seekers in each of the last three years.

Rupert Lowe Independent, Great Yarmouth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the cost to the public purse of translation and interpretation services by her Department for asylum seekers in Great Yarmouth Constituency in each of the last five years.

Alex Norris The Minister of State, Home Department

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice confirms new court interpreting contracts from October 2026

https://www.ein.org.uk/news/ministry-justice-confirms-new-court-interpreting-contracts-october-2026

26 January 2026

Ministry of Justice confirms new court interpreting contracts from October 2026

In a letter last week to the House of Lords Public Services Committee, the Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Sarah Sackman KC MP, said the procurement process had concluded. The minister said the new contracts are intended to address issues identified by the Committee in its earlier scrutiny of interpreting services.

Under the new arrangements, thebigword has been awarded the contract for primary spoken language services and will continue as the incumbent provider, while Translate UK has been appointed as the secondary spoken language services supplier. Clarion UK will continue to provide visual and tactile services, and The Language Shop has been reappointed as the quality and assurance provider.

The minister said the contracts include enhanced performance monitoring and requirements for suppliers to collaborate on the development of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, in line with the Ministry of Justice's AI Action Plan for Justice. The new contracting model introduces a primary and secondary supplier structure for spoken language services, intended to improve the availability of interpreters, including for short-notice bookings.

The letter also sets out changes to interpreter qualifications, quality assurance processes, welfare provisions and remuneration, including expanded trainee schemes, strengthened safeguarding arrangements, and CPI-linked annual increases in pay. The MoJ said it is now entering the implementation phase and will continue to engage with the judiciary, legal professionals and interpreter organisations ahead of the October 2026 start date.

https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/51244/documents/284478/default/

PQ: 20 January 2026

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2026-01-08.104354.h

Immigration: Interpreters

Home Office written question – answered at on 20 January 2026.

Rupert Lowe Independent, Great Yarmouth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contracts her Department currently holds with (i) ClearVoice and (ii) other interpretation providers for asylum and migration services.

Alex Norris The Minister of State, Home Department

The Home Office does not hold any contract with ClearVoice.

The Home Office has a contract above threshold with ‘thebigword’ Group Limited.

Criminal trial services: Slowly does it

https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/features/criminal-trial-services-slowly-does-it/5125627.article

19 January 2026 by Eduardo Reyes

 

Criminal trial services: Slowly does it

The low down

The Ministry of Justice claims staggeringly high performance levels for key outsourced services upon which the conduct of criminal trials depends. Timely delivery of prisoners to courts is apparently achieved 99.8% of the time. Only 0.7% of ineffective trials are delayed due to the lack of an interpreter. Court interpreters surveyed are happy with their lot. So why does the Bar Council’s new chair single out prisoner escort service problems as ‘the whine that became a roar’? In truth, it is easy to find routine examples of late transport delaying trials, adding to the backlog. And ‘satisfied’ interpreters have been striking over pay and unreasonable work demands. The scale of these outsourcing problems has the potential to undermine the government’s criminal justice reforms. […]

 

Language barrier: ministers and interpreters

‘More than 99% of trials needing interpreters go ahead as scheduled,’ says the Ministry of Justice in response to the Gazette’s questions about the delivery of interpreting services in criminal trials. Two companies hold the contract for these outsourced services: thebigword and Clarion UK Ltd. An MoJ spokesperson adds: ‘The majority of interpreters were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience of interpreting assignments for the MoJ.’ 

That picture is fiercely contested. In 2024, the House of Lords Public Services Committee gathered evidence on the standard of interpreting services provided through these outsourcing contracts. Its findings were published in March 2025. 

The committee concluded that the current state of interpreting services in the courts is inefficient and ineffective, and poses a threat to the administration of justice. 

Peers identified ‘a clear disconnect between what the government thinks is happening, what the companies contracted to deliver the services believe is happening, and what frontline interpreters and legal professionals report is happening with interpreting services in the courts’. 

The mismatch, the committee continued, suggests that ‘significant issues with court interpreting may be missed in the data the MoJ gathers, making it difficult for the MoJ or parliament to assess the scale and impact of problems in this system and the impact of these problems on access to justice’. 

The committee noted that in 2024, over 5,000 requests for language services in courts went unfilled. It added: ‘Many failures are not officially recorded as complaints.’ 

Interpreters who provide their services through thebigword took strike action in 2024 and 2025. Grievances included inadequate rates, not receiving payments to which they were entitled and being required to cover multiple cases for no additional cash. 

On behalf of its members, the National Register of Public Service Interpreters published a statement: ‘As long as bookings continue to be outsourced by agencies at inadequate rates offered to qualified and regulated interpreters, the current backlog… will continue growing.’ 

The Lords committee recommended the MoJ halt the procurement process for a new interpreting services contract, due to complete later this year. The department has rebuffed the plea. 

A spokesperson for thebigword tells the Gazette: ‘Our priority is delivering a high-quality, value-for-money interpreting service that helps courts function effectively and ensures access to justice. We greatly value the professionalism of our interpreters who are at the heart of what we do and we constantly review performance to look for ways of strengthening the service.’ 

Clarion UK Ltd was approached for comment.  [...]

Ministry of Justice - Contract Award Notice

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004047-2026

Contract

Language Services Lot 1

• Ministry of Justice

F03: Contract award notice

Notice identifier: 2026/S 000-004047

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-04a54f (view related notices)

Published 16 January 2026, 4:05pm

Section I: Contracting authority

I.1) Name and addresses

Ministry of Justice

102 Petty France

London

SW1H 9AJ

Email Elise.Ballantyne@justice.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

I.2) Information about joint procurement

The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body

I.4) Type of the contracting authorityI.4) Type of the contracting authority

Ministry or any other national or federal authority

I.5) Main activity

General public services

Section II: Object

II.1) Scope of the procurement

II.1.1) Title

Language Services Lot 1

II.1.2) Main CPV code

• 79540000 - Interpretation services

II.1.3) Type of contract

Services

II.1.4) Short description

The provision of spoken language interpreting including face to face, telephone and video interpreting services. The interpreter in all cases must convert the spoken language from one language to another enabling listeners and speakers to understand each other.

II.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: Yes

II.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)

Value excluding VAT: £208,700,000

II.2) Description

II.2.1) Title

Primary Spoken Interpreting

Lot No 1

II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

• 79540000 - Interpretation services

II.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes

• UK - United Kingdom

II.2.4) Description of the procurement

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has entered into contracts for the delivery of Language Services. The contracts are split into 4 Lots, the scope of services includes face to face, telephone and video interpreting services for spoken languages, BSL, visual and tactile communication and quality and assurance of all language services.

II.2.5) Award criteria

Quality criterion - Name: Mobilisation and Transition / Weighting: 7.5%

Quality criterion - Name: Booking Service – Development, Implementation and Maintenance  / Weighting: 15%

Quality criterion - Name: Delivery of Bookings / Weighting: 15%

Quality criterion - Name: Staff recruitment, retention and performance / Weighting: 3.75%

Quality criterion - Name: Supplier Telephone Helpdesk / Weighting: 7.5%

Quality criterion - Name: Complaints and Feedback / Weighting: 7.5%

Quality criterion - Name: Stakeholder engagement and Continuous Improvement / Weighting: 3.75%

Quality criterion - Name: Interpreter Recruitment / Weighting: 15%

Quality criterion - Name: Training and Quality Management / Weighting: 7.5%

Quality criterion - Name: Fraud, Corruption and Bribery / Weighting: 3.75%

Price - Weighting: Price Per Quality Point

II.2.11) Information about options

Options: No

II.2.13) Information about European Union Funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No

II.2.14) Additional information

Additional Quality Criteria;

Information Security - 3.75%

Social Value - 10%

Section IV. Procedure

IV.1) Description

IV.1.1) Type of procedure

Open procedure

IV.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes

IV.2) Administrative information

IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure

Notice number: 2024/S 000-031661

Section V. Award of contract

Lot No1

Title

Primary Spoken Interpreting

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

V.2) Award of contract

V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

17 December 2025

V.2.2) Information about tenders

Number of tenders received: 3

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No

V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor

thebigword Group Holdings Limited

Leeds

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

• UK - United Kingdom

The contractor is an SME

No

V.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)

Total value of the contract/lot: £208,700,000

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005959-2026

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005961-2026

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005963-2026

Something doesn’t add up

https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-and-opinion/something-doesnt-add-up/5125606.article

16^th January 2026 by Eduardo Reyes

Something doesn’t add up

A juddering dissonance persists between the Ministry of Justice’s positive assessment of key criminal justice services – outsourced to private companies – and the way those services are experienced by professionals who work on the frontline.

Performance data quoted by the MoJ and companies responsible for escorting and transporting prisoners to court for trial shows ‘prisoner escort contractors deliver over 99.8% of prisoners to court on time’. Of interpreters, another outsourced service, the MoJ says: ‘More than 99% of trials needing interpreters go ahead as scheduled.’

The kindest thing I can say about these assertions is that the MoJ, and the ministers who lead it, are insufficiently curious about the abundant and widespread evidence to the contrary.

Asking criminal defence lawyers if these are problem areas is akin to visiting a fairground stall with a guaranteed prize – every contact elicits a despairing account of routine delays. The situation in the magistrates’ courts is dire. The picture is much better at the Crown courts if prisoners are in custody, say, a mile from court, but in London there is a problem. And transport for juveniles falls short. The situation is grim across England and Wales, confirm trade unions relating the experience of MoJ staff.

Is there omerta around criticism of outsourced services? Ministers are unmoved by evidence that discredits positive numbers. Courts minister Sarah Sackman was not swayed by a Lords committee report that found the poor state of interpreter services threatened the administration of justice. Late delivery of prisoners to court by contractors Serco and GEOAmey is ‘rare’, the MoJ insists.

Fines of up to £625 for each 15-minute delay caused by the late delivery of a prisoner to court can be levied on these companies, the MoJ assures the Gazette. So what penalties have been imposed? We aren’t allowed to know, as ‘sharing the data publicly would harm the PECS [Prisoner Escort and Custody Service] suppliers’ future ability to participate competitively in future commercial activity’. How convenient.

Justice secretary David Lammy has a criminal justice reform programme that partly relies on prison transport and interpreter services being as good as the MoJ’s data suggests they are. Yet it is the unequivocal view of professionals on the frontline of the criminal justice system that MoJ data on those services simply fails to reflect the reality.

"the case was adjourned so that an interpreter can attend"

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/tradesman-charged-after-woman-sexually-assaulted-in-her-home-334264/

6^th January 2026

Chatham tradesman charged after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at home in Gillingham

[…] He appeared at Maidstone Crown Court last Friday (January 2) and the case was adjourned so that an interpreter can attend. It is understood he is due back at the same court on August 31, 2027. [...]

An Assessment of the Benefit Appeals System: From Mandatory Reconsideration to the Social Security Tribunal

https://policyexchange.org.uk/publication/lapse-of-judgment/

28 December 2025 

 

Lapse of Judgment?

An Assessment of the Benefit Appeals System: From Mandatory Reconsideration to the Social Security Tribunal

This new report by Policy Exchange shines a light on an often overlooked part of the welfare system: the appeals process for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). It argues that we need to fundamentally reform our appeals process for health and disability benefits to raise decision-making quality, improve democratic accountability and ensure the support provided is both sustainable and targeted appropriately. [...]

 

Key recommendations

The report calls for a reset of the appeals system, including: [...]

Reforming tribunal interpretation services so that foreign-language interpretation is ordinarily funded by appellants (with appropriate exemptions for BSL).[...] 

https://policyexchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Lapse.of_.Judgment.pdf

 

DWP explores ‘emerging translation technologies’ for multilingual citizen support

https://www.publictechnology.net/2025/12/23/society-and-welfare/dwp-explores-emerging-translation-technologies-for-multilingual-citizen-support/

23 December 2025

DWP explores ‘emerging translation technologies’ for multilingual citizen support

The Department for Work and Pensions is exploring the possible use of new forms of automation technology that could translate content and services for citizens.

The benefits agency has issued a commercial planning notice outlining its interest in deploying a “front of house translation tool”. Before inviting bids from potential suppliers of such a system, the DWP “is undertaking market research to understand capability in machine translation, language processing and multilingual content support, to improve the accessibility, consistency and efficiency of our citizen communications”, the notice says.

Prospective providers are currently invited to respond to department’s request for information exercise to help inform its research – and any potential tender exercise in the future. [...]

Inside London’s crippling court delays as Labour moves to cut back jury trials

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/court-delays-jury-trials-justice-reform-prisoners-late-b1262536.html

20 December 2025

Inside London’s crippling court delays as Labour moves to cut back jury trials

 

[…] ‘The interpreter is not here’

And there is a persistent issue with interpreters. They speak the wrong language or dialect, they are not booked to arrive in time for the pre-court meeting between lawyer and defendant, or they simply do not turn up at all. [...]

‘Chaos’ in the courtroom

At Woolwich crown court last week, a 17-year-old boy was due to face an allegation of sexual assault. But he never made it into the dock that day.

He was an hour late from Feltham youth detention centre for the 10am hearing, and a Senegalese interpreter had been booked but did not turned up on time.

However before the case could be heard, the boy’s defence barrister revealed that the CPS uploaded the evidence to the digital case system at 5.45am on the morning of the hearing, no indictment had been drawn up, and the prosecutor had no idea who the case worker was.

“It’s like a comedy of errors”, exclaimed the defence barrister, to which the clerk replied: “It’s chaos.”

The judge, wanting to get on with her other hearings, adjourned the case for a month. [...]