Response to FOI request regarding MoJ's investment into the contract with Capita
I have received the response below to my FOI request which raises questions as to the period of time this 2.9 million pound investment covers and I have submitted a new FOI request to clarify this. The contract changes came into effect only in May 2013, how was this figure of 2.9 million obtained? Does it cover a period until the end of the current financial year? If it does, how was it calculated and what is it based on? Indeed, if the Ministry of Justice struggles to calculate the money already spent on interpreters outside of the FWA with Capita, how can it give an accurate figure of investment a year ahead? If this amount covers the money already invested into the new enhancements to the FWA (from May 2013 until 20th June 2013 when Helen Grant MP announced the figure), doesn't it look excessive?
Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals
Service
Crime Directorate
2nd Floor (2.25)
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
T 020 3334 4057
E alex.lark@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk
www.justice.gov.uk
Yelena McCafferty
Our Ref: FOI - 83669 09 July 2013
Freedom of Information Request
Dear Sir / Madam,
Thank you for your e-mail of 23 June 2013, in which you asked for the following information from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ):
“I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
Please provide details of £2.9 million investment referred to by Helen Grant MP during the Justice Select Committee debate on 20th June 2013: “Based on cautious assumptions, we have made savings of about £16.7 million, against an expected forecast of £12 million, and as I have stated, we have invested £2.9 million back into the system, to make the contract sustainable”:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm130620/halltext/130620h0001.htm
Please let me have the information requested above in the electronic form.”
Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
I can confirm that the department holds information that you have asked for, and I am pleased to provide this to you.
The following list is a breakdown of the £2.9 million invested;
- paying interpreters at their qualified tier,
- paying in 15 minute blocks,
- extending the use of mileage payments,
- introducing cancellation fees where the hearing is cancelled at short notice or runs significantly shorter than expected through no fault of the interpreter, and
- introducing a fee to help cover incidental costs that the interpreter might incur in carrying out work.
You can also find more information by reading the full text of the Act (available at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/contents).
You have the right to appeal our decision if you think it is incorrect. Details can be found in the ‘How to Appeal’ section attached at the end of this letter.
Disclosure Log
You can also view information that the Ministry of Justice has disclosed in response to previous Freedom of Information requests. Responses are anonymised and published on our on-line disclosure log which can be found on the MoJ website:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/information-access-rights/foi-requests/latest-moj-disclosurelog
The published information is categorised by subject area and in alphabetical order.
Yours sincerely
Alex Lark
Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service
