§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Lord Privy Seal what is the current size of the staff at the Soviet Embassy; what it has been in each of the last 10 years; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure its reduction following the Soviet Government's invasion of Afghanistan.
§ Mr. LuceStrict limits on the size of the Soviet Embassy in London were imposed by the British Government in September 1971. Since then, the embassy has had 47 diplomatic staff and 46 non-diplomatic staff. Numbers in the immediately preceding period were:
April 1971:
83 diplomatic staff
61 non-diplomatic staff
October 1970:
79 diplomatic staff
56 non-diplomatic staff
The Government have no plans at present to seek further reductions.