The government understands that there is potential for artificial intelligence to support people with accessibility needs, including those who are Deaf or hard of hearing or face language barriers.

The Government Digital Service (GDS) will undertake analysis and research on how artificial intelligence and frontier technologies could improve accessibility for disabled users in digital public sector services.

The department does not hold this information.

The analysis provided in the written answer 11236 is a historical record of expenditure associated with the COS28 VAT category for interpretation and translation services. Whilst the department maintains forward-looking forecasts of expenditure for the purpose of robustly managing public money, these forecasts focus on material, programme level, activities and outcomes, and are not attributable at VAT category level.

The Ministry of Justice holds some, but not all, of the information requested. The information available for the most recent full financial year is set out below.

Interpretation spend in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (asylum claim appeals) for FY25/26 was as follows:

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

The department’s spending on translation services in the 2025/26 financial year increased by £20,573.80 compared with the 2024/25 financial year. As outlined in the department’s response to Question 11236, the increase in expenditure predominantly relates to:

• £6,226.18 – translation of departmental safeguarding guidance for parents, relating to children in out-of-school settings.
• £4,100.54 – translation of consultation documents affecting disabled students, into British Sign Language.
• £9,120.00 – translation services provided for overseas delegates attending the UK-hosted Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Education summit.

There were no comparable, high-value translation activities undertaken by the department in 2024/25, where translation costs were £1,159.02 and related to:

• A ‘Childcare Choices’ leaflet.
• Kinship care.

The amounts that the department spent on translation services in the two years prior to the 2022/23 financial year are:

On the 1 April 2020 the department moved the management of its transactional finance services and record of account in-house. The department does not hold expenditure information in the equivalent structure prior to that date.

As independent bodies who take their own decisions, local authorities are responsible for assessing the need and value for money in delivering any translation services for their residents.

As outlined previously, Protecting What Matters outlined our commitment to a new approach to integration which has clear expectations for everyone who lives in the UK to learn English. To support this we are developing a cross-government integration strategy. Further details will be provided in due course.

Home Office HR do not hold centrally details for roles or responsibilities for every member of staff, therefore this information can only retrieve via disproportionate effort.

The information requested is not held centrally. The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Ministry of Justice does not centrally record whether staff are employed wholly or primarily to support the provision of multilingual communications and services, or the associated cost of such staff.

The amounts that the department spent on translation services in the years between 1 April 2022 and 18 June 2026 are as follows:

The much higher spend in year 2025/26 was driven principally by three specific items of translation spend:

(i) Safeguarding guidance aimed at parents relating to children in out-of-school settings.

(ii) Consultation documents affecting disabled students into British Sign Language.

(iii) UK hosted summit on artificial intelligence safety in education, requiring translation services for overseas delegates.

I refer the Rt Hon member to the answer given to UIN 106143, on the 23^rd January 2026.

There are no plans at present for HM Treasury to change how it collects or receives data on this issue given spending on such services typically falls below Delegated Authority Limits.

The Home Office uses professional interpretation and translation services to support asylum, immigration and wider operational processes. These services are delivered through centrally managed arrangements, including the Interpreter and Language Services Unit (ILSU), as well as through contracted suppliers.

Quality assurance and contract governance arrangements are in place to uphold standards, monitor performance and support continuous improvement. This includes defined internal standards and structured quality frameworks to identify errors and ensure service quality. Where concerns are raised, they are considered carefully and, where appropriate, investigated on a case-by-case basis. The Home Office is committed to ensuring that interpretation services meet appropriate quality standards across all delivery routes.

Data on the proportion of asylum and immigration interviews conducted by Border Force via (a) video call and (b) telephone-only where interpreters or translators are used is not held in published statistics. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office uses professional interpretation and translation services to support asylum, immigration and wider operational processes. These services are delivered through centrally managed arrangements, including the Interpreter and Language Services Unit (ILSU), as well as through contracted suppliers.

Quality assurance and contract governance arrangements are in place to uphold standards, monitor performance and support continuous improvement. This includes defined internal standards and structured quality frameworks to identify errors and ensure service quality. Where concerns are raised, they are considered carefully and, where appropriate, investigated on a case-by-case basis. The Home Office is committed to ensuring that interpretation services meet appropriate quality standards across all delivery routes.

Data on the proportion of asylum and immigration interviews conducted by Border Force via (a) video call and (b) telephone-only where interpreters or translators are used is not held in published statistics. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office uses professional interpretation and translation services to support asylum, immigration and wider operational processes. These services are delivered through centrally managed arrangements, including the Interpreter and Language Services Unit (ILSU), as well as through contracted suppliers.

Quality assurance and contract governance arrangements are in place to uphold standards, monitor performance and support continuous improvement. This includes defined internal standards and structured quality frameworks to identify errors and ensure service quality. Where concerns are raised, they are considered carefully and, where appropriate, investigated on a case-by-case basis. The Home Office is committed to ensuring that interpretation services meet appropriate quality standards across all delivery routes.

Data on the proportion of asylum and immigration interviews conducted by Border Force via (a) video call and (b) telephone-only where interpreters or translators are used is not held in published statistics. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office uses professional interpretation and translation services to support asylum, immigration and wider operational processes. These services are delivered through centrally managed arrangements, including the Interpreter and Language Services Unit (ILSU), as well as through contracted suppliers.

Quality assurance and contract governance arrangements are in place to uphold standards, monitor performance and support continuous improvement. This includes defined internal standards and structured quality frameworks to identify errors and ensure service quality. Where concerns are raised, they are considered carefully and, where appropriate, investigated on a case-by-case basis. The Home Office is committed to ensuring that interpretation services meet appropriate quality standards across all delivery routes.

Data on the proportion of asylum and immigration interviews conducted by Border Force via (a) video call and (b) telephone-only where interpreters or translators are used is not held in published statistics. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Matters relating to the conduct of individual police officers, staff, or those working on behalf of the police are for the relevant police force to consider through established complaints procedures. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment on the detail of the case raised.

If an individual believes that a public service interpreter has acted inappropriately during a police interaction, they can make a complaint directly to the relevant police force or via the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Information on how to do so is available on the IOPC’s website at https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/complaints/submit-a-complaint, including an online complaints form and guidance on the complaints process.

Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. Neither platform show any contracts with iFlyTek.

Counter Terrorism Policing continues to maintain the technological tools and translation capabilities necessary to meet legislative and evidential requirements.

CTP are strengthening this capacity, including through the development and deployment of enhanced technical solutions and by increasing the number of suitably cleared translators.