Public Accounts CommitteeWritten evidence from Orsolya Mance

My name is Orsolya Mance and I have been a qualified, NRPSI registered Hungarian interpreter since 2009. I would like to express my sincere gratitude and profound relief that you are looking into the MoJ framework agreement with ALS/Capita.

Having watched the HOC Public Accounts Committee hearing on Monday 15 October 2012, I feel that there is some confusion around the issue of “suitably qualified interpreters”.

As it is essential that the Committee see clearly in this matter when ALS/Capita give their evidence on the 29 October please allow me sum up the facts very briefly:

The commonly accepted benchmark qualification for working as an interpreter in Courts is the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI). This or the Metropolitan Police Test is needed to get on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). When giving his evidence Mr Jones stated that “not all interpreters with a DPSI are on the NRPSI”. This is true, however, there are a couple of facts that suggest that the vast majority of them are:

1.As the previous system required court and police interpreters to be on the NRPSI, interpreters with a DPSI (a qualification that costs around £800) would probably have wanted to be on the NRPSI to get work in Public Service Interpreting.

2.Mr Jones stated that NRPSI membership “used to” cost money—it still does, around £200 per annum. Paying this amount shows commitment to work as a professional interpreter.

Therefore it is safe to assume that the number of DPSI holders (=qualified interpreters) is not much higher that the number of interpreters on the NRPSI.

According to the findings of the National Audit Office report on the FWA (Figure 3 on page 20), there were 305 individual interpreters that appeared on both ALS’ list and on the NRPSI (as of May 2012). Due to the above facts the number of interpreters with a DPSI or a Metropolitan Police Test registered with ALS/Capita is not likely to be significantly higher.

It follows from the previous facts that unless vast improvements to the interpreters’ pay and working conditions are made ALS/Capita will not be able to recruit the required number of qualified interpreters.

Thank you for considering my submission.

16 October 2012