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Prisons: Translation Services

Asked by Rupert LoweRestore BritainMinistry of JusticeTabled Answered 11 November 2025UIN 87520

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) translators and (b) interpreters have worked in the prison estate since 2018; and what the total cost to the public purse was for their services.

Answered by Jake Richards

HMPPS uses translation services provided under contract. These services provide translation by phone and do not require translators to physically come onto the prison estate. There may be specific occasions where in person translators are required but we do not hold a central record for these and to collect the information would incur disproportionate cost.

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