Interpreters (Hansard, 10 March 1999)

§ Mr. Levitt
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the occasions on which cases have(a) collapsed and (b) gone to appeal on the basis of inadequate interpreter provision for defendants in each of the last two years. [75341]

§ Mr. Hoon
I regret that this information is not collected, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

§ Mr. Levitt
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what professional standards and qualifications are required of interpreters working in English courts. [75342]

§ Mr. Hoon
Interpreters working in English courts are not required by law to have a formal qualification or to have reached a specific professional standard. However, all agencies in the criminal justice system are parties to an agreement with the aim that, by the end of 2001, every interpreter working in courts should be selected from the National Register of Public Service Interpreters or the 249W Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP) National Directory of sign Language Interpreters. An inter-agency working group is monitoring progress of the agreement. Those arranging interpreters are encouraged to find an interpreter from the National Register or Directory in the first instance. Where a person cannot be found from those sources, they will look elsewhere for an interpreter of at least the same standard.
In the civil courts it is the responsibility of the plaintiff or defendant or their legal adviser to provide any foreign language interpreter. The court can refer inquiries from parties to appropriate lists. The Court Service has an agreement with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People to provide a sign language interpreter, who must be registered by the CACDP, whenever such an interpreter is required.

§ Mr. Levitt
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what measures exist to ensure that accused persons whose first language is not English receive a fair trial in English courts. [75340]

§ Mr. Hoon
Where the accused's first language is not English, and he would not otherwise understand the proceedings, the court will arrange a foreign language or sign language interpreter for him at court. The only exception is where the defendant appears in court within up to two working days of being charged, where it is for the police or other prosecuting agency to make the necessary arrangements. The interpreter's fee is paid from public funds.