HC Deb 18 October 1944 vol 403 cc2351-2
10 and 11 Mr. Stourton

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) the number of ambassadors and ministers accredited to the Court of St. James and members of their staffs who are accorded diplomatic privileges, and the number of ambassadorial and ministerial officials excluded from these immunities;

(2) the number of ambassadors and ministers accredited to foreign Governments and their staffs temporarily domiciled in Great Britain who are granted diplomatic privileges; and the number of ambassadorial and ministerial officials excluded from advantages.

Mr. Law

As the reply contains a number of figures, I will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the reply:

At the present time there are 22 ambassadors and 15 ministers accredited to the Court of St. James and three missions without titular heads are in charge of chargés d'affaires. The staffs of all these missions, holding diplomatic rank, total 359 persons.

The diplomatic representatives accredited to the heads of Allied States resident in this country or to their Governments temporarily established here include two ambassadors, 34 ministers and 19 chargés d'affaires, eight of the ministers and nine of the charges d'affaires being concurrently members of the Diplomatic Body accredited to the Court of St. James. Their staffs of diplomatic rank number 81, 15 of whom perform concurrent duties in missions accredited to this Court.

The diplomatic missions referred to above have, in addition to members of the staff who hold diplomatic rank, subordinate staff, who possess certain immunities, but whose privileges are less extensive than the diplomatic staff. Further, certain immunities are granted to servants employed in the households or offices of the heads of missions. The numbers of these persons are as follows:

Subordinate staff:

  1. (a) Missions accredited to the Court of St. James, 325.
  2. (b) Missions accredited to Allied Governments in London, 45.
Domestic staff:
  1. (a) Missions accredited to the Court of St. James, 498.
  2. (b) Missions accredited to Allied Governments in London, 6.
I have no information regarding the number of other persons who may be employed in foreign diplomatic missions whose names have not been notified to me and who do not therefore qualify for privileges or immunities of any kind.