DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITIES (CONFERENCES) (CYPRUS) ORDER, 1961 (Hansard, 25 July 1961)

THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS (THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE)

My Lords, the purpose of this proposed Order is to add Cyprus to the countries to which the Diplomatic Immunities (Conferences with Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland) Act, 1961, applies. Under the Order, the Act will apply to Cyprus in exactly the same way as it applies to other Commonwealth countries. Section 1 of the 1961 Act confers the same immunities as are accorded to envoys of foreign Powers and theft retinues on the representatives of Commonwealth countries and of the Republic of Ireland, and on their staffs, who attend conferences in the United Kingdom with representatives of the Government of the United Kingdom. They will be named in a list published by the Secretary of State; the immunities continue for the period of the conference only.

Cyprus was not named in the Act as a country to which it applied, because it was intended that the Act should cover only Commonwelth countries and the Republic of Ireland. Noble Lords will remember that the Republic of Cyprus became independent on August 31, 1960, but the Cyprus Government did not apply for membership of the Commonwealth until February 20 this year, and the Commonwealth Prime Ministers did not approve the Cyprus Republic's application for admission to the Commonwealth until after the Act had received the Royal Assent on March 2.

This is the first Order to be made under under Section 2 of the Act adding countries to those named in subsection (5) of Section 1. That section was included with Cyprus particularly in mind and 913 may well not be used again, since in future it is more likely that a country attaining independence will become a member of the Commonwealth at the same time, and will be added to subsection (5) of Section 1 by its independence Act. Sierra Leone was inserted in the list by the Sierra Leone Independence Act, 1961.

I know that your Lordships are sensitive—indeed, rightly sensitive—about diplomatic immunities. In this case, however, until the Draft Order is made, Cypriot representatives at conferences in this country will be the only representatives of any independent country who do not have these immunities, and it would he quite anomalous and invidious to withhold them. My Lords, I beg to move that this Order be now approved.