§ Sir B. Rhys Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a statement indicating the approximate area in terms of square feet now taken up by diplomatic, consular and other buildings occupied by official representatives of the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the next largest national delegations in London; and what changes are envisaged in current development plans in each case.
§ Mr. HattersleyDiplomatic Missions are under no obligation to furnish my Department with these details of their accommodation in London. I have no knowledge of any envisaged changes in the accommodation of either the United States Embassy or the Indian High Commission, which are the diplomatic Missions with the largest staff in London. The area of accommodation to be included in the Soviet Embassy's development proposals for two sites in the Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea will not be known to my Department until the plans are finalised, when they will form part of a Circular 80 notification to be made to the local planning authority by my Department.
§ Sir B. Rhys Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a statement showing what is now the permitted establishment of diplomatic, consular and other official representatives of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in Great Britain, showing what total numbers, including their households, are based in central London; and if he will publish comparable figures for the United States of America and for the next largest official national delegations in Great Britain.
§ Mr. TomlinsonThe fixed limits placed on Soviet officials resident in the United Kingdo mfor periods longer than 291W three months were given by my right hon. Friend in his Written Answer on 1st December 1975 to the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Onslow).
On 6th May 1976 the staff at the Soviet United States, Indian and French Diplomatic and Consular Missions was as follows:
Soviet Union 139 United States 254 India 314 France 290 The numbers of the above officials and their dependants resident in central London were as follows:
Soviet Union 328 United States 677 India 1,032 France 554 The figures for Soviet official representatives attached to missions in the United Kingdom and their dependants include the permanent staff of the Soviet Trade Delegation but do not include officials working at international organisations or other non-representative Soviet organisations, commercial, Press, etc., or Soviet inspectors of industrial equipment attached to British firms exporting to the Soviet Union. In all cases the figures for the Soviet Union are for officials resident in the United Kingdom for periods longer than three months.