§ Lord Boyd-CarpenterMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the present total number of members of the staff of foreign missions in Great Britain who are regarded as being entitled to immunity from prosecution by reason of their diplomatic status.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Young)My Lords, the numbers of staff entitled to full immunity from criminal jurisdiction are: diplomatic staff of diplomatic missions, 2,309; administrative and technical staff of diplomatic missions, 2,147; diplomatic staff of the Commonwealth Secretariat, 60; high officers of international organisations, 11; and, consular officers and employees of the Polish Consulates-General in London and Glasgow, 11, making a total of 4,538. Dependent family members forming part of the immune person's household are also entitled to full immunity.
Service staff of diplomatic missions, officials and certain other persons connected with international organisations, and consular officers and employees enjoy immunity only in respect of their official acts. There are currently 2,684 such persons.
§ Lord Boyd-CarpenterMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that very illuminating reply, may I ask her whether in practice there is any means of restricting the number of persons entitled to these immunities resident in this country?
§ Baroness YoungMy Lords, we have power to limit the size of certain missions and sometimes we exercise it, but we need always to have in mind the reciprocal implications for our own missions abroad.
§ Lord Cledwyn of PenrhosMy Lords, can the noble Baroness tell the House what progress has been made with the review of the Vienna Convention? Further, can she tell us whether the number of serious crimes has increased over the years, and can she give us a cross-temporal comparison? Finally, can she say how many times the Government have used the sanction of declaring a diplomat persona non grata under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention?
§ Baroness YoungMy Lords, on the first part of the noble Lord's supplementary question, perhaps I could refer him to the statement of my right honourable and learned friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 526 18th July. On the second part of his supplementary, between the years 1974 and 1984, 546 serious offences were committed—which works out at an average of 54 a year. The number has remained at about that average. On the last point the noble Lord raised with me, on the numbers of diplomats accused of serious offences and sent home, the answer is that 34 diplomats have been removed from the United Kingdom for this reason since the beginning of 1979 either at our request or at that of their own government.
§ Lord Cledwyn of PenrhosMy Lords, I wonder if the noble Baroness can be as generous as she usually is and refresh our memories as to what the Foreign Secretary said.
§ Baroness YoungMy Lords, his full statement will be published when the proceedings are published. They were, of course, as with all statements of this nature, open to the press and there have been reports in the press. He went through many of the problems which have been raised both in this House and in another place regarding the Vienna Convention.
§ Lord MishconMy Lords, I wonder whether the noble Baroness could assist us by way of contrast and tell us how many of our people having diplomatic status have claimed immunity abroad?
§ Baroness YoungNot without notice, my Lords.
§ Lord LeatherlandMy Lords, can the noble Baroness tell us whether Members of your Lordships' House are still immune while on the premises?
§ Baroness YoungMy Lords, that is a very interesting question but I really think that the noble Lord, Lord Leatherland, will agree that it is outside the terms of the Question on the Order Paper.
§ Lord LeatherlandMy Lords, I should like to say that I have no interest to declare.