§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the conditions of service and method of appointment of honorary consuls. [66869]
§ Mr. FatchettProspective Honorary Consuls are nominated by Heads of Mission and their appointment is approved by the Head of Consular Division in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The candidates are usually individuals of some standing in the local community. They may be foreign nationals.
Honorary Consuls are not salaried employees. They give their time free of charge and receive a honorarium; the maximum currently is £1,835. They may claim certain admissible expenses e.g. official postage. Their consular functions are carried out from their private or business address. Generally no payment is made from official funds towards rent.
Honorary Consuls perform statutory and non-statutory functions. Statutory functions include duties under the Merchant Shipping Acts, notarial acts, and levying of Consular Fees. Non-Statutory duties include protecting the interests of British nationals, particularly those in distress; and promoting British commercial interests. They do not register births and deaths or issue standard passports. They are not expected to undertake political reporting or information work.
Honorary Consul appointments are for a period of five years and may be terminated by either side giving not less than one months's notice. At the end of the initial term and subsequent five year terms, the appointment may be renewed subject to the exigencies of the public service and provided the Head of Mission is satisfied with the incumbent's performance. The retirement age is 65.
§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many honorary consuls are in post. [66868]
§ Mr. FatchettThere are 242 Honorary Consults in 90 countries.
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§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many honorary consuls are currently employed by the UK owned(a) tobacco, (b) armaments and (c) other industries with commercial interests in the host country. [66870]
§ Mr. FatchettMost Honorary Consuls are business people. A breakdown of their activity or type of employment is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.