Skip to main content

Translation Services

Volume 459: debated on Tuesday 17 April 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 15 March 2007, Official Report, column 564W, on translation services, which languages were involved; how much was spent on translation costs for each language in each year; what the nature was of the services provided; and what the reasons were for the percentage year-on-year change in translation costs. (129639)

Detailed breakdowns of translation costs for each Northern Ireland Government Department, its associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies for each of the last four years are provided in the following tables.

Breakdown of translations 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06

£

2002-03

Department

Total 2002-03

Irish

Ulster-Scots

Ethnic1

Sign

Other2

DHSSPS

95,620.11

89,152.86

0.00

6,467.25

0.00

0.00

NIO

123,150.11

679.36

413.00

121,790.75

85.00

182.00

DE

98,993.67

35,521.79

0.00

58,497.63

599.70

4,374.55

DETI

987.68

176.02

0.00

811.66

0.00

0.00

DEL

4,726.86

655.00

0.00

719.90

3,351.96

0.00

OFMDFM

43,176.87

26,208.99

7,415.50

2,522.00

1,528.00

5,502.38

DOE

296.50

154.50

0.00

0.00

142.00

0.00

DSD

18,183.86

57.50

0.00

16,836.02

1,290.34

0.00

DFP

177.17

177.17

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

DCAL

39,718.86

38,061.61

149.85

495.00

1,012.40

0.00

DARD

981.49

310.89

0.00

670.60

0.00

0.00

DRD

3

3

3

3

3

3

Total

426,013.18

191,155.69

7,978.35

208,810.81

8,009.40

10,058.93

2003-04

£

Department

Total 2003-04

Irish

Ulster-Scots

Ethnic1

Sign

Other2

NIO

115,001.83

687.38

0.00

111,583.79

2,730.66

0.00

DE

119,929.38

22,963.22

69.95

96,780.01

104.20

12.00

DARD

1,305.36

76.59

0.00

1,175.78

0.00

52.99

DEL

11,039.00

0.00

1,028.00

9,028.70

104.20

878.10

DETI

3,697.68

2,075.93

0.00

523.93

120.11

977.71

DFP

1,898.45

1,060.13

0.00

838.32

0.00

0.00

DHSSPS

31,466.55

29,305.80

0.00

2,160.75

0.00

0.00

DOE

74.95

74.95

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

DRD

539.04

195.00

134.04

210.00

0.00

0.00

DSD

53,913.74

482.50

0.00

52,556.86

874.38

0.00

OFMDFM

22,505.61

4,764.15

354.00

1,375.51

15,734.65

277.30

DCAL

53,652.58

51,593.12

444.50

1,350.00

264.96

0.00

Total

415,024.17

113,278.77

2,030.49

277,583.65

19,933.16

2,198.10

2004-05

£

Department

Total 2004-05

Irish

Ulster-Scots

Ethnic1

Sign

Other2

NIO

257,878.70

2,058.69

558.06

158,670.32

4,161.52

92,430.11

DE

37,416.37

24,554.49

0.00

9,800.30

3,061.58

0.00

DARD

1,370.98

311.90

0.00

1,059.08

0.00

0.00

DEL

12,557.82

0.00

0.00

50.00

2,654.63

9,853.19

DETI

3,603.36

309.97

45.50

1,740.01

1,507.88

0.00

DFP

1,958.86

625.06

295.54

715.11

102.34

220.81

DHSSPS

13,515.01

9,592.76

0.00

152.75

0.00

3,769.50

DOE

724.02

109.02

225.00

390.00

0.00

0.00

DRD

3,798.99

338.24

0.00

0.00

3,108.24

352.51

DSD

112,612.59

251.39

0.00

98,092.67

3,154.70

11,113.83

OFMDFM

1,695.36

494.36

0.00

1,195.00

0.00

6.00

DCAL

37,403.23

28,575.59

568.71

5,425.00

2,833.93

0.00

Total

484,535.29

67,221.47

1,692.81

277,290.24

20,584.82

117,745.95

2005-06

£

Department

Total 2005-06

Irish

Ulster- Scots

Ethnic1

Sign

Other2

NIO

527,454.57

480.76

0.00

510,893.87

16,079.94

0.00

DE

37,827.10

19,349.27

0.00

14,094.27

3,559.65

823.91

DARD

5,076.85

3,192.16

95.89

1,590.00

0.00

198.80

DEL

232,064.00

0.00

0.00

230,841.00

1,223.00

0.00

DETI

7,510.19

390.89

0.00

5,430.59

1,611.17

77.54

DFP

1,498.03

899.73

0.00

180.00

356.50

61.80

DHSSPS

27,262.66

8,974.00

0.00

17,545.66

0.00

743.00

DOE

16,330.78

7,290.06

7,931.62

309.10

800.00

0.00

DRD

546.04

436.04

0.00

110.00

0.00

0.00

DSD

309,871.19

0.00

0.00

308,602.40

561.00

707.79

OFMDFM

24,081.60

2,740.77

515.36

15,210.47

4,291.60

1,323.40

DCAL

25,183.92

20,801.17

783.40

1,535.90

532.30

1,531.15

Total

1,214,706.93

64,554.85

9,326.27

1,106,343.26

29,015.16

5,467.39

1 Ethnic refers to translations other than English, Irish and Ulster-Scots.

2 Other refers to Braille and interpretation costs.

3 Nil return.

It is not possible to define all the reasons for the year-on-year changes in the costs of translations or to supply a comprehensive breakdown of the nature of the services provided. However, it is apparent that the volume of Irish language translations has fallen following the dissolution of the Assembly while EU enlargement and the increased immigrant population has seen a significant increase in the volume of ethnic language translations. The level of Ulster-Scots translations has remained fairly static over the period.