Interpretation Costs
Oral Answers to Questions — Justice – in the
Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:30 pm on 25th January 2016.
Ian McCrea DUP
Mr I McCrea asked the Minister of Justice to state
the cost to the public purse of providing interpreters in police stations for
people who do not speak English as their first language. (AQT 3365/11-16)
David Ford Alliance
Again, whilst Ministers are expected to know quite
a lot for topical Question Time, I do not think that it is realistic to expect
that questions like that can be discussed. He talks about the cost of
interpreters, and there are, of course, costs in the justice system for police
station interviews and potential court proceedings. Those issues are determined
on the basis of the individual's need. I do not carry around in the top of my
head the figures for the total cost last year.
Ian McCrea DUP
Given that other countries across Europe ensure
that, if a person is in that country and does not have the language of that
country as their first language, they have to pay for the provision of an
interpreter and, indeed, bring one with them, does the Minister have a view on
whether that should be considered for Northern Ireland? Should people who require
an interpreter pay to provide one?
David Ford Alliance
I am not sure whether Mr McCrea has had experience
of having to pay for a translation into French, German, Spanish or something
himself. I am not aware of the full pattern across Europe. Certainly, the pattern
of charging for interpretation services is not common to the justice system or,
indeed, other services like the health service in the United Kingdom. It is not
something that I have been considering to date.
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