§ Mr. LANSBURYasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the total number of trade councillors or attaches attached to the American, German, French and Italian Embassies; whether these gentlemen enjoy diplo 831W matic privileges and immunities, and is their correspondence allowed to come to this country and go to their own country in sealed bags attached to the Embassy; whether this country employs similar commercial representatives in the countries named, and do they receive the same treatment as is accorded to British nationals; can he inform the House whether a commercial councillor or attache is attached to the British Embassy at Moscow; and whether such representative enjoys diplomatic privileges, etc., and is he allowed to send and receive his correspondence in the sealed diplomatic bags?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINThe total number of commercial officers attached to the United States, German, French and Italian Embassies is as follows:
United States Embassy:
1 Acting Commercial Attache.
1 Assistant Commercial Attache.
2 Trade Commissioners.
3 Assistant Trade Commissioners.
German Embassy: Nil.
French Embassy:
1 Commercial Attache.
4 Assistants to the Commercial Attache.
Italian Embassy:
1 Commercial Counsellor.
These gentlemen enjoy diplomatic privileges and immunities, and no doubt official correspondence for them is forwarded in the bags addressed to their respective Ambassadors; the number of the commercial officers attached to His Majesty's Embassies in the United States, Germany, France and Italy is as follows:
United States:
1 Commercial Counsellor.
1 Commercial Secretary.
1 Honorary Commercial Secretary.
Germany:
3 Commercial Secretaries.
France:
1 Commercial Counsellor.
1 Commercial Secretary.
Italy:
1 Commercial Secretary with rank of Counsellor.
1 Commercial Secretary.
832WThey enjoy diplomatic privileges and immunities. One Commercial Secretary is attached to the British Mission at Moscow.
The reply to the last part of the question is in the affirmative.