Court interpreters could get regular pay rises when new government contracts for language services begin next year, the Ministry of Justice has told parliamentarians conducting an inquiry into translation services.
The House of Lords public services committee’s inquiry has revealed discontent among interpreters over pay. The Ministry of Justice insists its pay scales are competitive, but told the inquiry that the new contract will be 'uprated' to reflect the Consumer Price Index.
Concerned that the contract will only be uprated at the start of the contract, the committee requested further clarification. Courts minister Sarah Sackman confirmed in a letter to the committee that the CPI will be applied not only to the new contracts when services start next year ‘but annually thereafter’.
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‘We will not be able to confirm the detail of how the indexation will flow through the contracts until a bidder has been awarded the contract and the contractual language finalised,’ Sackman said.
As well as updating the committee on pay, Sackman said the ministry is ‘exploring what further information could be provided to interpreters in advance, within the limitations imposed by data protection laws’.
Interpreters currently receive the date and location, whether the service is to be provided in person or by phone, and type of hearing. Surveyed by HM Courts & Tribunals Service in 2023, interpreters said they wanted more information about a case to help them better prepare, as well as having access to written materials such as medical reports, a list of charges and statements as the hearing progress.
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