HC Deb 20 November 1972 vol 846 cc893-4
11. Sir S. McAdden

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to him and by which Embassies in London as to the inadequacy of police protection in Great Britain; and what action he is taking in the matter.

Mr. Kershaw

As has been made public, I have received representations from the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt and from other diplomatic missions in London about their security but I do not consider that it would be in the interest of those missions to reveal details, either of the representations or of the action taken as a result. I am in close touch with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary about police protection of diplomatic missions in this country.

Sir S. McAdden

Does not my hon. Friend find it interesting that the missions that are making these representations are those providing immunity for those who are mounting offensives in this country by letter bombs and in other ways? Does he not think that we should look with care at the question of allowing them to arm themselves and their subjects in this country, and thereby to act against the normal procedure of relying on our police protection?

Mr. Kershaw

I have no information that would lead me to suppose that my hon. Friend's allegation is correct, but we are nevertheless bound by the Vienna Convention of 1961 to give diplomatic missions in our country the protection they require.

Mr. Greville Janner

Is it true that members of these missions are carrying sub-machine guns?

Mr. Kershaw

Not to our knowledge, but if it were to come to our knowledge we would take a serious view of it.