Breaks for sign language interpreters questioned at South Lanarkshire Council meeting

dailyrecord.co.uk:

South Lanarkshire councillors have raised concerns after sign language interpreters did not receive timely breaks at a full council meeting.At the meeting on Wednesday, councillors expressed concerns over the breaks given to the sign language interpreters who were present.At the meeting, which lasted just over four hours, Provost Margaret Cooper issued breaks, however numerous councillors pointed out that no break had been given in over an hour which goes against protocols.

This was eventually addressed and a break was given.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now. Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android The protocol for meetings with sign language interpreters is to have a break after an hour of the meeting.The lack of breaks was first pointed out by Councillor Janine Calikes (Rutherglen Central and North), who said: “I think we need to have a better way of notifying that interpreters need breaks because we’re putting in the chat and they’re not receiving their breaks.”In response, the Provost stated that she tried to issue breaks accordingly and had hoped the meeting would soon end.She said: “I’ve tried to take account of breaks as best I can, the meeting has been lengthy, I’m hoping that we’re going to resolve that by coming to a conclusion in the next five or ten minutes of the meeting, so I don’t propose to take a further break at this