Capita TI fined thousands in penalties - NRPSI response | 27 JANUARY 2014
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Following news last week that Capita TI has been fined thousands in penalties for its failure to provide court interpreters, and publication of a National Audit Office report that indicates an increase in the use of unqualified interpreters for court interpreting by the agency, NRPSI has made this statement:
NRPSI STATEMENT
"While we welcome the fact that the poor performance of Capita TI is being recognised, the £46,000 fine the company faces is of little consolation. Millions of pounds of taxpayers' money have already been lost through their incompetence and non-fulfilment of contract. Not only that, for every day that Capita TI is allowed to continue to operate under the Framework Agreement and use interpreters who are not on the National Register or qualified the public is being put at unnecessary risk.
As the UK’s independent voluntary regulator of public service interpreting, NRPSI’s stance on this issue has always been that whatever system is in place it must have at its forefront the provision of appropriately qualified interpreters and an effective mechanism for dealing with failures in the provision of a quality interpreting service.
NRPSI has not only received confirmation from the profession that it is the body to regulate it, but had its role in the provision of quality interpreting services recognised by the Select Committee following its inquiry into the current court interpreting arrangements. In its ‘Interpreting and translation services and the Applied Language Solutions Contract’ report conclusions and recommendations (no.4), the Committee said: “there do not appear to have been any fundamental problems with the quality of services, where they were properly sourced i.e. through arrangements that were underpinned by the National Register of Public Service Interpreters.”
Government must now formally recognise the need for independent regulation of the profession by NRPSI and ensure that only registered interpreters are used for court interpreting if we are to see any real improvements made with regards to the current situation."
Ted Sangster, Chair, NRPSI | 27 January 2014
Media contact:
Nina Croad, Communications Consultant, Just Bee Comms | T 07889 491 259
/ E nina@justbeecomms.com
Related releases:
• NRPSI wins interpreters’ approval to regulate profession
The following releases were issued by Professional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J) – the interpreting organisations umbrella group, of which NRPSI is a member:
• Increase in use of unqualified interpreters
• £17 million lost in court interpreting fiasco
News:
Capita fined thousands for poor performance it the provision court interpreters – bbc.co.uk/news
About the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI)
The National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) is the UK’s independent voluntary regulator of professional interpreters. Funded by Registrants’ fees, it is a not-for-profit organisation. By maintaining interpreting standards it safeguards the public. All NRPSI registered interpreters, there are currently more than 2,000 covering 100 languages, satisfy rigorous entry criteria in terms of qualifications and experience, and demonstrate their commitment to professional standards by signing NRPSI’s Code of Professional Conduct. While NRPSI is a voluntary regulator, its powers allow it to discipline and, ultimately, exclude someone who breaks its Code of Conduct. In this way it can ensure interpreters on the Register, which is publicly available and searchable online for free, are appropriately qualified, have the level of competence claimed and employ best practice. http://www.nrpsi.org.uk/
NRPSI STATEMENT
"While we welcome the fact that the poor performance of Capita TI is being recognised, the £46,000 fine the company faces is of little consolation. Millions of pounds of taxpayers' money have already been lost through their incompetence and non-fulfilment of contract. Not only that, for every day that Capita TI is allowed to continue to operate under the Framework Agreement and use interpreters who are not on the National Register or qualified the public is being put at unnecessary risk.
As the UK’s independent voluntary regulator of public service interpreting, NRPSI’s stance on this issue has always been that whatever system is in place it must have at its forefront the provision of appropriately qualified interpreters and an effective mechanism for dealing with failures in the provision of a quality interpreting service.
NRPSI has not only received confirmation from the profession that it is the body to regulate it, but had its role in the provision of quality interpreting services recognised by the Select Committee following its inquiry into the current court interpreting arrangements. In its ‘Interpreting and translation services and the Applied Language Solutions Contract’ report conclusions and recommendations (no.4), the Committee said: “there do not appear to have been any fundamental problems with the quality of services, where they were properly sourced i.e. through arrangements that were underpinned by the National Register of Public Service Interpreters.”
Government must now formally recognise the need for independent regulation of the profession by NRPSI and ensure that only registered interpreters are used for court interpreting if we are to see any real improvements made with regards to the current situation."
Ted Sangster, Chair, NRPSI | 27 January 2014
Media contact:
Nina Croad, Communications Consultant, Just Bee Comms | T 07889 491 259
/ E nina@justbeecomms.com
Related releases:
• NRPSI wins interpreters’ approval to regulate profession
The following releases were issued by Professional Interpreters for Justice (PI4J) – the interpreting organisations umbrella group, of which NRPSI is a member:
• Increase in use of unqualified interpreters
• £17 million lost in court interpreting fiasco
News:
Capita fined thousands for poor performance it the provision court interpreters – bbc.co.uk/news
About the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI)
The National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) is the UK’s independent voluntary regulator of professional interpreters. Funded by Registrants’ fees, it is a not-for-profit organisation. By maintaining interpreting standards it safeguards the public. All NRPSI registered interpreters, there are currently more than 2,000 covering 100 languages, satisfy rigorous entry criteria in terms of qualifications and experience, and demonstrate their commitment to professional standards by signing NRPSI’s Code of Professional Conduct. While NRPSI is a voluntary regulator, its powers allow it to discipline and, ultimately, exclude someone who breaks its Code of Conduct. In this way it can ensure interpreters on the Register, which is publicly available and searchable online for free, are appropriately qualified, have the level of competence claimed and employ best practice. http://www.nrpsi.org.uk/
