Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much the Government has spent on interpreters for people with hearing impairments or difficulties with speech, in each of the last 12 years.

HMCTS are committed to ensuring that court hearings are accessible to all our users and that users with hearing loss or difficulties with speech can fully participate in those hearings. HMCTS provides reasonable adjustments for court and tribunal users with disabilities in accordance with our legal duty under the Equality Act 2010.

To meet our Public Sector Equality Duty, HMCTS also has a wider duty to avoid treating people less favourably because of their disability. Court and tribunal users are encouraged to contact the court before any type of hearing to discuss the particular adjustments or support they require, to enable their individual needs to be met. Information about reasonable adjustments is available on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service/about/equality-and-diversity.

Reasonable adjustment guidance and learning and broader disability guidance is provided to all HMCTS staff. All guidance raises awareness of the issues people with hearing loss may face, and the reasonable adjustments which may help them to fully participate in hearings.

Since October 2016, £6,594,896 has been spent on interpreters for people with hearing impairments or difficulties with speech. This spend is across HMCTS, HMPPS, LAA and other commissioning bodies.

The information prior to November 2016 has been archived as it relates to a previous contract and is therefore no longer held centrally.