Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the implementation of the recommendations made by his Department's expert panel on reforming the family court response to domestic abuse, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that accurate data is collected on the (a) number of allegations made of parental alienation and (b) outcome of child contact in cases where those allegations are made.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Incidences of alleged parental alienation by either parent in relation to family proceedings about child arrangements are not recorded centrally. Such information can only be obtained from individual case files at disproportionate cost.
In assessing the child’s best interests, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) assess and report any concerns about alienating behaviours to the court, focusing on the impact on the child’s safety and welfare and in the context of wider family dynamics. Parents are also able to inform the court of any concerns they may have about the other parent. Cafcass’ Child Impact Assessment Framework includes various tools and guidance that further support social work practitioners in identifying where a child expresses reluctance to have an ongoing relationship with a parent, including domestic abuse, persistent and harmful conflict and alienating behaviours.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the prevalence of the use of parental alienation accusations in the family courts.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Incidences of alleged parental alienation by either parent in relation to family proceedings about child arrangements are not recorded centrally. Such information can only be obtained from individual case files at disproportionate cost.
In assessing the child’s best interests, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) assess and report any concerns about alienating behaviours to the court, focusing on the impact on the child’s safety and welfare and in the context of wider family dynamics. Parents are also able to inform the court of any concerns they may have about the other parent. Cafcass’ Child Impact Assessment Framework includes various tools and guidance that further support social work practitioners in identifying where a child expresses reluctance to have an ongoing relationship with a parent, including domestic abuse, persistent and harmful conflict and alienating behaviours.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of cases in which allegations of parental alienation have been made by an alleged perpetrator of domestic abuse.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Incidences of alleged parental alienation by either parent in relation to family proceedings about child arrangements are not recorded centrally. Such information can only be obtained from individual case files at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) organisations and (b) other relevant stakeholders have been contacted by his Department on the matter of introducing a wide range of training for all participants in the family justice system.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Lord Chief Justice, the Senior President of Tribunals, and the Chief Coroner have statutory responsibility for judicial training, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, and Coroners and Justice Act 2009 respectively. These responsibilities are exercised through the Judicial College.
Additional training requirements for all family justice professionals involved in the private law reform pilots are being developed.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many engagements classified as (a) complex-written, (b) complex and (c) standard has Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service engaged people to conduct spoken word interpreting tasks in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018, (iii) 2019 and (iv) 2020.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ HL3003 on 26 October 2021. A link to the answer can be found here: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to remove the requirement for the administration of an oath for an application for an enrolled deed poll.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Regulations for the enrolled deed poll process (to change names) are made by the Master of the Rolls. At his request a Judicial Working Group is reviewing the existing Regulations and making recommendations for a number of reforms to modernise the process.
My understanding is that the group has been looking into a suggestion of replacing the current requirement for administration of an oath with the applicant being required to complete a statement of truth as part of their application, verifying the accuracy of the information provided. Recommendations for reform are due to be considered by the Master of the Rolls in the next few months.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 19 April 2021 to Question 176073, of the 59 who failed spot checks conducted since 1st January 2019 by The Language Shop; what level of qualification did those 59 people have which enabled them to appear on the MoJ register prior to those spot checks.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is committed to ensuring the justice system is supported by a suite of high- quality language service contracts, that meet the needs of all those who require interpreters.
The MOJ does not directly employ interpreters. The MOJ commissions the services of suitably qualified interpreters through its contracted service providers, thebigword and Clarion Interpreting.
All interpreters regardless of qualifications are required to complete an induction programme. This is not an accredited piece of learning. It was created by the MOJ and The International School of Linguists (ISL) and is hosted by ISL for thebigword to meet the requirements of the MOJ.
The hours of experience required varies according to the complexity and type of language. This information is set out and can be found in the contract via the following link
A table showing the hours of experience required by qualification can be found below:
Qualifications | Experience required | Complexity level |
Enrolled on a Level 1, two-to-four week, course | 100 hours of Interpretation Services in the relevant language | Standard |
Level 1 public service interpreting (PSI) qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Level 2 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Level 3 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Level 4 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Those without any form of public service qualification but have degree level qualifications in other disciplines such as philology and linguistics | 100 hours of Interpretation Services in the relevant language | Complex |
Level 6 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Complex / Complex Written (DPSI Health & Lov Govt although Level 6, are only authorised for Complex; DPSI Law, DPI (Diploma in Police Interpreting) & DCI (Diploma in Community Interpreting ISL) are Complex Written) |
Of the 59 language professionals who failed spot checks, three of the language professionals had two checks for different languages, so we have provided 62 results. Below is a table which breaks down the level of qualification the language professionals had to enable them to appear on the register prior to the spot checks.
Qualification Level | Number of language professionals |
Level 3 | 2 |
Level 6 | 39 |
Level 7 | 5 |
Basic interpreting, rare language or Partial qualification | 16 |
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hours of experience is demanded as a minimum by his Department's Register for those who are (a) Level 1 public service interpreting (PSI) qualified, (b) Level 2 PSI qualified, (c) Level 3 PSI qualified, (d) Level 4 PSI qualified, (e) those without any form of public service qualification but who have degree level qualifications in other disciplines such as philology and linguistics and (f) Level 6 PSI qualified.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is committed to ensuring the justice system is supported by a suite of high- quality language service contracts, that meet the needs of all those who require interpreters.
The MOJ does not directly employ interpreters. The MOJ commissions the services of suitably qualified interpreters through its contracted service providers, thebigword and Clarion Interpreting.
All interpreters regardless of qualifications are required to complete an induction programme. This is not an accredited piece of learning. It was created by the MOJ and The International School of Linguists (ISL) and is hosted by ISL for thebigword to meet the requirements of the MOJ.
The hours of experience required varies according to the complexity and type of language. This information is set out and can be found in the contract via the following link
A table showing the hours of experience required by qualification can be found below:
Qualifications | Experience required | Complexity level |
Enrolled on a Level 1, two-to-four week, course | 100 hours of Interpretation Services in the relevant language | Standard |
Level 1 public service interpreting (PSI) qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Level 2 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Level 3 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Level 4 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Those without any form of public service qualification but have degree level qualifications in other disciplines such as philology and linguistics | 100 hours of Interpretation Services in the relevant language | Complex |
Level 6 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Complex / Complex Written (DPSI Health & Lov Govt although Level 6, are only authorised for Complex; DPSI Law, DPI (Diploma in Police Interpreting) & DCI (Diploma in Community Interpreting ISL) are Complex Written) |
Of the 59 language professionals who failed spot checks, three of the language professionals had two checks for different languages, so we have provided 62 results. Below is a table which breaks down the level of qualification the language professionals had to enable them to appear on the register prior to the spot checks.
Qualification Level | Number of language professionals |
Level 3 | 2 |
Level 6 | 39 |
Level 7 | 5 |
Basic interpreting, rare language or Partial qualification | 16 |
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who provides the specific training course for interpreters to join his Department's register; whether that course is endorsed by a professional body; and whether the course content is standardised regardless of previous qualifications.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is committed to ensuring the justice system is supported by a suite of high- quality language service contracts, that meet the needs of all those who require interpreters.
The MOJ does not directly employ interpreters. The MOJ commissions the services of suitably qualified interpreters through its contracted service providers, thebigword and Clarion Interpreting.
All interpreters regardless of qualifications are required to complete an induction programme. This is not an accredited piece of learning. It was created by the MOJ and The International School of Linguists (ISL) and is hosted by ISL for thebigword to meet the requirements of the MOJ.
The hours of experience required varies according to the complexity and type of language. This information is set out and can be found in the contract via the following link
A table showing the hours of experience required by qualification can be found below:
Qualifications | Experience required | Complexity level |
Enrolled on a Level 1, two-to-four week, course | 100 hours of Interpretation Services in the relevant language | Standard |
Level 1 public service interpreting (PSI) qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Level 2 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Level 3 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Level 4 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Standard |
Those without any form of public service qualification but have degree level qualifications in other disciplines such as philology and linguistics | 100 hours of Interpretation Services in the relevant language | Complex |
Level 6 PSI qualified | No minimum hours required | Complex / Complex Written (DPSI Health & Lov Govt although Level 6, are only authorised for Complex; DPSI Law, DPI (Diploma in Police Interpreting) & DCI (Diploma in Community Interpreting ISL) are Complex Written) |
Of the 59 language professionals who failed spot checks, three of the language professionals had two checks for different languages, so we have provided 62 results. Below is a table which breaks down the level of qualification the language professionals had to enable them to appear on the register prior to the spot checks.
Qualification Level | Number of language professionals |
Level 3 | 2 |
Level 6 | 39 |
Level 7 | 5 |
Basic interpreting, rare language or Partial qualification | 16 |
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how long it takes to complete the justice system training course for interpreters; and which organisation oversees that course.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring the justice system is supported by a suite of high- quality language service contracts, that meet the needs of all those that require them.
The MoJ does not directly employ interpreters. The MoJ commissions the services of suitably qualified interpreters through its contracted service providers, thebigword and Clarion Interpreting.
MoJ accepts individuals who hold (a) Level 1 foundation in public service interpreting, a two-to-four-week course, (b) Level 2 public service interpreting qualifications, (c) Level 3 and Level 4 community service interpreting qualifications, A-level standard, (d) a bachelor’s degree in philology but no public service interpreting qualifications and (e) a bachelor’s degree in linguistics onto the MoJ Register. They would however only be engaged in work for MoJ if other requirements are also met. These requirements include the hours of experience they have, the complexity of the booking itself and whether the language in question is considered as rare or otherwise.
The contract has a clearly defined list of qualifications, skills, experience and vetting requirements interpreters must meet, which have been designed to meet the needs of the justice system. All interpreters are also required to complete a justice system specific training course before they are permitted to join the MoJ’s interpreter register.
The full details of the standards required for our Language Professionals is set out in our contracts, which can be found at the following link:
Currently there are 1073 interpreters across the MoJ register that hold a Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI) or Diploma in Police Interpreting (DPI). The number of interpreters listed on the MoJ register fluctuates regularly. The data that has been provided here is accurate to March 2021. Each interpreter has only been counted once irrespective of whether they hold multiple DPSI’s/DPI in different languages.
Evidence of public service interpreting is vetted and accredited via references obtained by our Service Provider thebigword. Thebigword contacts each of the referees to validate all of the information that has been provided.
The hours of experience that are required to be evidenced varies according to the complexity levels and the language itself (rare or otherwise) The contract has a clearly defined list of qualifications, skills, experience and vetting requirements that interpreters must meet.
The MoJ does not hold information regarding the number of interpreters that hold a Level 6 public service qualification and (b) have more than 400 hours’ public service interpreting experience that comply with the National Register of Public Service Interpreter’s Code of Professional Conduct. as there is no requirement to do so within the contract.
Data concerning NRPSI registration is not routinely recorded and is not a requirement of working for the MoJ. The MoJ requires all interpreters to abide by a code of conduct specific to the MoJ. This code of conduct forms part of their contract with the Service Providers under the language services contract.
Since 1st January 2019, 118 unique language professionals have had either a spot check or an In Person Assessment (IPA) performed by The Language Shop as the result of a referral, 59 of these passed their spot check/IPA and were not removed from the register. Of the 59 that failed their first assessment 5 of these have successfully completed an In-Person Assessment to enable them to re-join the register.
The Justice Sector programme is facilitated by the International School of Linguists Ltd and takes approximately 4 hours to complete.