The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has exposed the full failings of the Ministry of Justice’s contract for court interpreters, branding it ‘an object lesson in how not to contract out a public service’.
A report published today details the flaws in the procurement process and operation of the contract awarded to Applied Language Solutions (Applied) in August 2011 for the provision of court interpreters across England and Wales.
The ministry signed a five-year deal with Applied, worth around £42m a year. It expected to save around £18m a year in interpretation services.
