20 July
2012
Interpreters welcome ALS probe
Professional
bodies have welcomed the announcement of a parliamentary inquiry into the
multi-million-pound contract for court interpreting services awarded to
Delph-based Applied Language Solutions (ALS).
ALS won
the five-year government contract, which covers many interpretation services
for the justice system, from face-to-face interpreting to language services for
the deaf and blind.
The deal,
which was expected to save £18 million a year, has been criticised for
providing a service that is “getting worse not better”.
ALS,
which began operating as the sole contractor for language services in February,
was bought for £7.5 million by Capita in December. ALS chief executive Gavin
Wheeldon and other senior executives have left the business in recent weeks.
The
scheme has been plagued by reports of translators failing to turn up or making
mistakes, leading to delays in court cases. Committee hearings are expected to
take place at Westminster in September.
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