PQs: 30 January 2024

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2024-01-22.10708.h

Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered at on 30 January 2024.

John Hayes Conservative, South Holland and The Deepings

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse was of providing language translators in (a) hospitals and (b) health centres in each year since 2010.

Andrea Leadsom The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care

Translation and interpreting services for hospitals and health centres are commissioned by local National Health Service organisations who may hold this data.

The Department and NHS England have not estimated the potential cost to the public purse of these services used by the NHS.

Section 13G of the National Health Service Act 2006 states NHS England must have regard to the need to reduce inequalities between patients, including with respect to access to health services. NHS England guidance stipulates that where language is a problem in discussing health matters a professional interpreter should always be offered. It is the responsibility of NHS service providers to ensure interpreting and translation services are made available to their patients free at the point of delivery.

 

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2024-01-22.10704.h

Schools: Translation Services

Department for Education written question – answered at on 30 January 2024.

John Hayes Conservative, South Holland and The Deepings

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the cost to the public purse for the translation of school materials into languages other than English in each year since 2010.

John Hayes Conservative, South Holland and The Deepings

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the cost to the public purse was for providing language translators in schools in each year since 2013.

Damian Hinds Minister of State (Education)

School funding is distributed by the department fairly, based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics. It is then for school heads and governors to decide how this money is spent, in line with their school’s context.

The department does not hold the cost and spending for translating school materials into non-English languages or providing language translators in schools. Such professional services are procured by individual schools and local authorities. Local authorities can ‘de-delegate’ funding from maintained schools in their area to meet the costs to improve the performance of underperforming pupils from ethnic minority groups and meeting the specific needs of bilingual pupils, and local authorities submit data on this spending as part of their annual returns to the department. ‘De-delegated’ funding is spent centrally by local authorities to meet costs faced by maintained schools in their area.