CIOL has been very engaged in the recent UK House of Lords Inquiry into Interpreting and Translation Services in the Courts, along with NRPSI, the ITI and other UK Professional Associations. This led to a powerful letter from the House of Lords Public Services Select Committee to the Lord Chancellor, available here and below.

The Minister of State for the UK’s Ministry of Justice appeared on the 18^th December 2024, to give their account of the current arrangements. The evidence session was televised and is available as a video and transcript here. The Law Gazette's report on the evidence session is here.

While many will be disappointed by the position the Ministry of Justice has taken, it is important to recognise the progress made in building a very significant evidence base via the House of Lords Inquiry, which puts on the record the problems the current system is generating and a number of claims and counter claims by key players in the delivery of Public Service Interpreting, Academia and the wider stakeholder community. This brings more facts and data to the surface, which will better enable parliamentarians, the public and us all to hold government and publicly-contracted providers to account.

We will continue to work to shine a light on the problems, check and challenge some of the claims which have been made and maintain our focus on the importance of improved pay rates, better working conditions and a full commitment to the use of properly regulated, qualified, professional interpreters.