cost of interpreters foraccused migrants trebles
Taxpayers’ £3m lost in courtroom translation
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The cost to taxpayers of providing court translators for people accused of crimes in Scotland has more than trebled in six years, the Press and Journal can reveal.
Just over £3million has been spent on interpreters in courts north of the border since 2003, according to the Scottish Courts Service.
And more than a third of that was in sheriff courts in the north and north-east.
Costs have soared since the courts service was charged with providing translators for accused people – from a nationwide figure of £198,896 in 2003/04 to £826,728 in the last financial year.
In Aberdeen it soared from just £2,338 in 2003/04 to £70,960 in 2007/08.
Last night, the increase was attributed to the influx of foreign workers to the region, with courts in Dundee, Inverness, Perth and Peterhead among the highest spenders.
And there were calls for more investment in flexible English language classes for migrants to Scotland.
Mary Scanlon, Conservative MSP for the Highlands and islands, accused the Scottish Government and the previous Scottish Executive of doing “very little” to help foreign workers learn English, despite using the Fresh Talent initiative to attract them here in the first place.
She said: “Many workers are working during the day when classes are available. There’s simply not enough flexibility to study English as a foreign language.
“The £1million spent in the north and north-east would be better invested in classes and training to learn English than on interpreters.”
She added: “I would hope we have learned a lesson from this and we can be better and more professional in our approach to foreign workers coming to Scotland.”
Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker, a north-east MSP, said: “This is a big investment but the courts have to be accessible to everyone and the key thing is that justice is done.”
Since 2003, the Scottish Courts Service (SCS) has spent a total of £3,052,803 on translation services for men and women due before a sheriff or judge, accused of committing crimes.
Interpreters’ costs are highest at Glasgow and Strathkelvin sheriff courts, but those in the north and north-east accounted for £1,129,332 of the total bill.
In Dundee, almost £150,000 has been spent on translators. The costs hit a peak in 2006/07 when more than £40,000 was spent.
In the six-year period, more than £170,000 was spent in Inverness, more than £100,000 in Peterhead and £114,181 in Perth.
A total of £238,415 has been spent on providing translators for accused in the High Court since 2003.
The figures also relate to the cost of hiring British sign language interpreters for deaf people.
According to the statistics, obtained from the courts service by the Press and Journal using Freedom of Information legislation, costs hit a peak between April 2007 and March 2008, but records are expected to be broken again during this financial year.
Between April and October 2008 – the latest figures available – the SCS had already spent almost £500,000.
It has been responsible for providing interpreters for those accused of crimes in sheriff and High Court cases since April 2002.
Right
Translators for prosecution witnesses are instructed by the Crown Office, while those for defence witnesses are arranged by solicitors.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said that, under the terms of article six of the Human Rights Act, everyone charged with a criminal offence has the right to the free assistance of an interpreter if they cannot understand or speak the language used in court.
He added: “The issue at stake here is the integrity of Scotland’s world-renowned justice system and part of that is the ability of those going through the justice system to understand what is going on in the court and what is being said.”
A total of £154,085 was spent on translators at Aberdeen Sheriff Court between 2003 and 2008; £19,338 at Alloa; £37,212 at Arbroath; £13,320 at Banff; £26,982 at Dingwall; £3,982 at Dornoch; £14,7631 at Dundee; £59,323 at Elgin; £35,635 at Forfar; £49,155 at Fort William; £173,111 at Inverness; £16,884 at Kirkwall; £38,884 at Lerwick; £13,590 at Oban; £114,181 at Perth; £106,423 at Peterhead; £5,967 at Portree; £57,631 at Stirling; £10,031 at Stonehaven; £10,057 at Stornoway; £21,565 at Tain; and £14,345 at Wick.
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