Written question asked by Neil Gerrard (Labour) on Monday, 8 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 March 2010. It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Friday, 12 March 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Young Offender Institutions: Languages

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under what circumstances an interpreter is required to be provided for a foreign national child in custody.

Answer: Providers of secure accommodation for young people are required to ensure that young people are able to understand what their sentence involves. It is particularly important that young people can understand and contribute to the meetings that are held to plan and review their progress while in custody. If this requires the use of an interpreter or translation service then this must be arranged.Young people must receive key documentation in a form that they can understand. This may involve the information being reproduced in their own language or provision of an interpreter or translation service to explain it to them.

Secondary information