THE Courts Service spent €110,000 on interpreters in Letterkenny in 2025, we can reveal.
Figures provided to the Donegal News from the Courts Service through a request under Freedom of Information (FOI) law shows €110,000 was spent on interpreters in the Letterkenny Combined Court Office.
The FOI states that €43,000 of the expenditure related to invoices from 2024, with €67,000 relating to 2025 invoices.
“The total expenditure on interpreting coded to the Letterkenny Combined Court Office in 2025 was €0.110m. However, it should be noted that €0.043m of this expenditure related to invoices from 2024, with €0.067m relating to 2025 invoices,” the FOI states.
We asked for a breakdown on spend on interpreters at Letterkenny District and Letterkenny Circuit Court in 2025, and how many languages were the interpreters provided in. However, the Courts Service said the data was not possible, stating that the only information they could provide is a total cost for interpretations for the Letterkenny Combined Court Office.
The decision as to the requirement for an interpreter is made by the presiding judge on application to the court.
If a judge certifies for an interpreter in a case, the Courts Service makes the booking on the judge’s order.
