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FOI/2025/26/191

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Reference FOI/2025/26/191
Description F2F interpreting requests and costs
Date requested 20/08/2024
Attachments N/A

Request

I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information act. 

  1. Volume of requests for F2F interpreting for spoken languages last 12 months (July 2024 to June 2025) 5775
  2. Spend on F2F interpreting for spoken languages last 12 months (July 2024 to June 2025) Commercially sensitive information Section 43 applied (see below)
  3. Volume of requests for BSL interpreting last 12 months (July 2024 to June 2025) 302
  4. Spend on BSL interpreting last 12 months (July 2024 to June 2025) Commercially sensitive information Section 43 applied (see below)
  5. Volume of requests for telephone interpreting for spoken languages last 12 months (July 2024 to June 2025) 16815
  6. Spend on telephone interpreting for spoken languages last 12 months (July 2024 to June 2025 Commercially sensitive information Section 43 applied (see below)
  7. Volume of requests for video interpreting for spoken languages last 12 months (July 2024 to June 2025) 813
  8. Spend on video interpreting for spoken languages last 12 months (July 2024 to June 2025) Commercially sensitive information Section 43 applied (see below)
  9. What are the top 10 languages requested in the last 12 months (July 2024 to June 2025)
    1. Arabic
    2. Farsi (Persian)
    3. Portuguese
    4. Romanian
    5. Gujarati
    6. Somali
    7. Spanish
    8. Polish
    9. Urdu
    10. Bengali
  10. Are you currently engaged in a contract with a language service agency/multiple agencies? No
  11. What is the name of those agencies? N/A
  12. If a contract for language services/interpreting is in place, what date does this end on? June 2028

Section 43 Exemption Applied

 

Section 43(2) exempts information whose disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (an individual, a company, the public authority itself or any other legal entity). Disclosure of the requested information could prejudice pending or future negotiations the CLCH may be subject to.

 

This is a qualified exemption under the FOIA, which means that consideration must also be given to whether in all the circumstances of the case the public interest favouring disclosure is greater than the public interest in maintaining the exemption. The public interest means what is in the best interests of the public not what is of interest to the public.

 

Factors in favour of discloser:  

  • Disclosing information relating to the value of the rent charged would benefit the public interest by encouraging transparency. 
  • Disclosing information relating to [Points 2 , 4, 6, 8] would promote accountability and transparency by showing how CLCH receive and spend public money. 

 

Factors in favour of non-disclosure: 

  • Disclosing the [Points 2 , 4 ,6 , 8] would undermine our competitive position in the marketplace. 
  • Disclosing the [Points 2 , 4 ,6 , 8] would compromise the commercial activities of CLCH, as it would compromise its ability to negotiate competitive future deals.
  • Disclosure of the [Points 2 , 4 ,6 , 8], is likely to lead to reputational and financial damage which would affect future investments and have a knock-on effect to the money raised for the health economy.

 

Having considered the above, we maintain that the factors in favour of upholding the exemption outweigh the factors in favour of disclosure. Therefore, the balance of the public interest test is greater in maintaining the exemption available under section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 

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