ALS database shows they have only 13% of NRPSI interpreters
Ministry of Justice
Crispin Blunt MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice
102 Petty France
London SW1H 9AJ
T 020 3334 3555
F 020 3334 3669
E general.queries@justice.gsi.gov.uk
www.justice.gov.uk
John Leech MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
13 July 2012
Dear John,
Language Services in the Justice Sector
Following our meeting of 21 June I agreed to write to you with some further information on the issues we discussed.
You asked how many of the interpreters accepting assignments from Applied Language Solutions (ALS) were included on the NRPSI register. Information provided to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) by ALS indicated that, on 6 July, there were 301 interpreters on the ALS list who were also registered on the NRPSI. This number will of course fluctuate as new interpreters offer their services and others cease to offer their services under the contract.
You also wanted to know the length of the contract that the MoJ has signed with ALS. It may help if I explain that the MoJ has signed an overarching Framework Agreement with ALS to provide language services to the justice sector. The Framework Agreement has been signed for 4 years and contains the terms and conditions which the MoJ, or other justice sector bodies, will apply to the provision of language services. The MoJ has since signed a contract with ALS under the terms of the Framework Agreement. This contract is for 5 years. The difference in duration between the two is to allow for the Framework Agreement to be re-tendered while the contract is still in force.
Turning finally to your query in relation to professional indemnity insurance, the Framework Agreement requires ALS to ensure that throughout the contract the interpreter/translator is covered by a current and valid policy of professional indemnity, acceptable to ALS and the MoJ, providing insurance against any liability the individual may incur as a result of their appointment by ALS, or the performance or failure to perform any duty as outlined in the contract.
I hope that this letter clarifies the issues we discussed.
CRISPIN BLUNT