Spending Public Money
I read a remarkable statistic the other day - apparently the UK government spends £180 million every year - on the provision of interpreters.
Now £70 million of that total is spent by the police - communicating with a variety of criminals, suspects and witnesses - caught up in the criminal justice system.
The original story appeared in The Sunday Times.
The slant being taken by that newspaper was that the taxpayer was being ripped off - because some interpreters were deliberately working the system - earning more than £100,000 a year.
If so, that's a scandal - and the article went on to suggest that with better scrutiny and management - the cost to the public purse could be cut in half.
But a completely different figure caught my eye - apparently the NHS (in England and Wales) has spent £39.7 million on translation services in the past three years.
Now what's that all about?
I can understand that people caught up in the criminal justice system - face the prospect of jail - need to know their rights.
But spending millions of pounds on interpreters in the NHS - sounds like a complete waste of public money.
I've gone to doctors and dentists when I've been abroad - and I've yet to ask for a translator or interpreter to be present - at someone else's expense at least.
Fair enough in some kind of emergency situation - but this is yet another example of public spending gone mad.
I wonder what the comparative figures are for Scotland?
Now £70 million of that total is spent by the police - communicating with a variety of criminals, suspects and witnesses - caught up in the criminal justice system.
The original story appeared in The Sunday Times.
The slant being taken by that newspaper was that the taxpayer was being ripped off - because some interpreters were deliberately working the system - earning more than £100,000 a year.
If so, that's a scandal - and the article went on to suggest that with better scrutiny and management - the cost to the public purse could be cut in half.
But a completely different figure caught my eye - apparently the NHS (in England and Wales) has spent £39.7 million on translation services in the past three years.
Now what's that all about?
I can understand that people caught up in the criminal justice system - face the prospect of jail - need to know their rights.
But spending millions of pounds on interpreters in the NHS - sounds like a complete waste of public money.
I've gone to doctors and dentists when I've been abroad - and I've yet to ask for a translator or interpreter to be present - at someone else's expense at least.
Fair enough in some kind of emergency situation - but this is yet another example of public spending gone mad.
I wonder what the comparative figures are for Scotland?
