§ 2.43 p.m.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what damage has been sustained by British diplomatic and consular properties in North Africa and the Middle East since the recent outbreak of hostilities; what is the provisional assessment of the cost of repairing this damage, and whether they can make a statement.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (LORD CHALFONT)My Lords, the consular premises at Alexandria, Port Said and Aleppo were gutted by fire. There was major damage to the Embassy offices at Tunis, and to the commercial and Consular Offices and the British Council premises in Benghazi. There was minor damage at eleven other Diplomatic Service posts in the Middle East and North Africa. It has not yet been possible to carry out a detailed survey of some of the buildings affected, but the total cost of damage is likely to exceed £120,000, of which about £80,000 is in respect of property owned by Her Majesty's Government.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, I should like to thank my noble friend for that reply. May I ask him whether any estimate has yet been made of the value of the personal possessions of British personnel, some of whom have lost a great deal? May I further ask him whether, in cases where their activities are greatly restricted and personal relationships have been impaired, Her Majesty's Government would consider granting temporary home leave to certain British Consular personnel, especially where their wives and families have been evacuated to this country?
§ LORD CHALFONTMy Lords, the estimate of the cost in the loss of personal effects to Embassy staffs abroad is of the order of £8,500. So far as the second half of the supplementary question is concerned, I can assure my noble friend and your Lordships' House that the 685 welfare of the staffs of our Embassies is very much in our minds at present. Whatever we can do to help them we shall do, and we shall have a special concern, of course, for those who are separated from their families. It is fair to say that the maintenance of effective diplomatic relations must be an important factor in making decisions of the sort mentioned by my noble friend, and the remarkable record of Embassy staffs throughout these events suggest that they would be the first to realise this.
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, have the Government made any protest to the countries concerned? If so, what has been the result of those protests, and have the Governments concerned said that they would be prepared to pay for the damage they have done to our consulates? Is the noble Lord aware that the Government are giving an impression that they are so anxious not to take sides as between Arab and Jew in the conflict in the Middle East that they do not seem to be paving proper attention to what are British interests and British property?
§ LORD CHALFONTMy Lords, I am sorry that the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition should think that we have not in mind British interests in these affairs. I can assure him that they are foremost in our minds. It is true to say that we are anxious not to exacerbate matters in the Middle East, but anxious indeed to bring matters to some kind of lasting solution. It is fair to suggest that in such circumstances the Government perhaps have to be slightly more circumspect in their actions and remarks than private individuals are compelled to be. In regard to compensation protests, of course we have made representations to the Governments concerned, and not entirely without effect. 'The Government of Tunisia, for example, and the Ruler of Qatar have accepted responsibility for the damage caused in Tunis and Doha respectively. Indeed, the Government of Tunisia have already offered to replace some of the goods destroyed in the Embassy Offices. The premises in Benghazi are leased by Her Majesty's Government from the Government of Libya and it is with them that the responsibility for repairs lies. Damage to the buildings there is estimated at about £25,000, and in our representations to the Libyan 686 Government we have reserved our rights to claim compensation. We have taken similar action in the case of the United Arab Republic, Syria, Algeria and Kuwait. So it is unfair for the noble Lord to suggest that we have been idle in this respect.