To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on translation services in each area of allocation in 2008. (267449)

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) are able to provide the total cost for language translators and interpreters for the calendar year 2008 only at a disproportionate cost as the details are not held in this format.

Figures are available for the financial year 2007-08, as follows:

MOJ headquarters

Translators: £272, 877

Interpreters: £4,034,000¹

Her Majesty's Courts Service

Translators: £200,000

Interpreters: £0

Tribunals Service

Translators and interpreters: £6,058,000²

Office of Criminal Justice Reform

Translators: £448

Interpreters: £0

Her Majesty's Prison Service

Translators and interpreters: £820,633²

National Offender Management Service (headquarters, excluding HM Prison Service and the Probation Service)

Translators: £8,906

Interpreters: £32,000

¹ This figure is the total cost for interpreters' services in Her Majesty's Crown Court in 2007-08. This is paid from the central funds budget within MOJ headquarters.

² Tribunals Service and HM Prison Service are able to differentiate between the cost of translators and interpreters only at disproportionate cost. For TS this figure includes services for people with visual and hearing impairments and travel expenses.

The Probation Service costs for interpretation and translation services are not held centrally and are available only at a disproportionate cost.

Information for 2008-09 is currently being collated.