PQ: 29 April 2026

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2025-04-17.45613.h

Asylum: Interviews

Home Office written question – answered at on 29 April 2025.

Mary Glindon Labour, Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the proportion of substantive asylum interview appointments that were cancelled due to an inability to secure a translator in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Angela Eagle The Minister of State, Home Department

The number of substantive interviews completed per month is published in tab ASY_05(M) of the Immigration and Protection dataset: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-and-protection-data-q4-2024.

The requested information on cancelled appointments could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at a disproportionate cost.

PQ: 20 April 2026

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2026-04-10.125709.h

Courts: Interpreters

Ministry of Justice written question – answered at on 20 April 2026.

Tan Dhesi Chair, Defence Committee, Chair, Defence Committee

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many instances of delayed hearings and trials were caused by the court having failed to book an interpreter in each of the last three years.

Sarah Sackman The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

An ineffective trial is defined as a trial that does not proceed on the scheduled trial date and therefore requires a further listing. This may arise due to action or inaction by the prosecution, the defence, the court, or a combination of these factors.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of delayed hearings or trials specifically attributable to the court failing to book an interpreter. While published data includes ineffective trials recorded under the reason “no interpreter available”, this category covers a range of circumstances. These include situations where the supplier was unable to fulfil a booking, or where a booked interpreter cancelled at short notice and there was insufficient time to secure a replacement, as well as the court having failed to book an interpreter. The data cannot be disaggregated further to distinguish between a failure to make a booking and other interpreter related issues that may have caused the delay.