§ Mr. Goodhartasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sum remains unpaid from parking fines incurred by those with diplomatic immunity during each of the last three years; how much and what proportion is owed by each mission accredited to the Court of St. James; and how many cars carrying diplomatic immunity are operated by each mission.
§ Mr. JohnThe following table, compiled from provisional figures available from the Metropolitan Police, gives particulars of the total number of fixed penalty notices cancelled annually on grounds of diplomatic immunity for the years 1974 to 1976 and the percentage relating to each mission, except for the period June to September 1975 for which, because of a major revision of the Metropolitan Police computer system, figures
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FIXED PENALTY NOTICES CANCELLED ON GROUNDS OF DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY 1974 January to may 1975 October to December 1975 1976 Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Afghanistan … … … 42 0.1 6 — 20 0.1 91 0.1 Algeria … … … 149 0.3 73 0.4 51 0.3 322 0.3 Argentine Republic … … 780 1.5 297 1.5 262 1.6 1,092 1.2 Australia … … … 93 0.2 37 0.2 17 0.1 69 0.1 Austria … … … 31 0.1 12 0.1 37 0.2 84 0.1 Bahamas … … … — — 2 — — — 3 — Bahrain … … … 95 0.2 58 0.3 50 0.3 444 0.5 Bangladesh … … … 409 0.8 135 0.7 88 0.5 441 0.5 Barbados … … … 458 0.9 80 0.4 127 0.8 403 0.4 Belgium … … … 270 0.5 61 0.3 42 0.3 178 0.2 Bolivia … … … 85 0.2 56 0.3 28 0.2 156 0.2 Botswana … … … 5 — 5 — 2 — 23 — Brazil … … … 493 0.9 167 0.8 141 0.9 1,200 1.3 Bulgaria … … … 925 1.8 530 2.6 451 2.8 2,510 2.7 Burma … … … 223 0.4 41 0.2 35 0.2 412 0.4 Cameroon … … … 289 0.5 56 0.3 37 0.2 338 0.4 Canada … … … 289 0.5 70 0.3 34 0.2 324 0.3 Chile … … … 199 0.4 102 0.5 50 0.3 287 0.3 China … … … 138 0.3 113 0.6 52 0.3 333 0.4 Colombia … … … 35 0.1 13 0.1 33 0.2 320 0.3 Costa Rica … … … 66 0.1 13 0.1 5 — 27 — Cuba … … … 2,708 5.1 1,246 6.1 755 4.7 4,571 5.0 Cyprus … … … 2,191 4.1 748 3.7 655 4.1 3,807 4.1 Czechoslovakia … … 175 0.3 66 0.3 42 0.3 183 0.2 Dahomey … … … 11 — 1 — 7 — 5 — Denmark … … … 258 0.5 55 0.3 49 0.3 190 0.2 Dominican Republic … 52 0.1 23 0.1 29 0.2 86 0.1 Ecuador … … … 207 0.4 126 0.6 49 0.3 197 0.2 Egypt … … … 1,651 3.1 532 2.6 607 3.8 4,923 5.3 El Salvador … … … 68 0.1 68 0.3 96 0.6 358 0.4 Ethiopia … … … 222 0.4 38 0.2 42 0.3 84 0.1 Fiji … … … 17 — 4 — — — 22 — Finland … … … 338 0.6 163 0.8 167 1.0 592 0.6 France … … … 1,101 2.1 691 3.4 495 3.1 2,196 2.4 Gabon … … … 99 0.2 41 0.2 76 0.5 253 0.3 Gambia … … … 352 0.7 58 0.3 73 0.5 240 0.3 broken down by diplomatic mission are not available. It is not possible to give a breakdown by diplomatic mission of the final annual figures derived from statistical returns from all police forces in England and Wales.
The amount of the fixed penalty specified in each notice was £2 in the case of those issued up to 31st August 1975 and £6 in the case of those issued subsequently. There is no question of sums being owed in respect of cancelled notices since the cancellation of a penalty notice on grounds of diplomatic immunity necessarily involves the cancellation of any debt which would otherwise be due as a result of it.
I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport that the information requested concerning the number of cars operated by each diplomatic mission is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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1974 January to may 1975 October to December 1975 1976 Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. German Democratic Republic 51 0.1 44 0.2 33 0.2 165 0.2 Germany, Federal Republic of 260 0.5 71 0.3 51 0.3 315 0.3 Ghana 1,209 2.3 422 2.1 341 2.1 2,186 2.4 Greece 1,327 2.5 297 1.5 299 1.9 1,732 1.9 Grenada — — — — — — 14 — Guyana 255 0.5 53 0.3 14 0.1 107 0.1 Haiti 26 — 6 — 3 — 20 — Honduras 88 0.2 37 0.2 38 0.2 67 0.1 Hungary 1,375 2.6 329 1.6 250 1.6 1,311 1.4 Iceland 7 — 7 — 13 0.1 40 — India 485 0.9 106 0.5 86 0.5 449 0.5 Indonesia 646 1.2 265 1.3 198 1.2 2,060 2.2 Iran 2,807 5.3 942 4.6 656 4.1 3,584 3.9 Iraq 345 0.7 111 0.5 164 1.0 1,410 1.5 Ireland, Republic of 99 0.2 51 0.3 38 0.2 181 0.2 Israel 954 1.8 387 1.9 222 1.4 861 1.0 Italy 301 0.6 130 0.6 102 0.6 469 0.5 Ivory Coast 279 0.5 92 0.5 95 0.6 537 0.6 Jamaica 831 1.6 432 21 328 2.0 2,669 2.9 Japan 272 0.5 194 1.0 132 0.8 950 1.0 Jordan 504 1.0 243 1.2 235 1.5 1,391 1.5 Kenya 436 0.8 177 0.9 110 0.7 1,215 1.3 Khmer Republic 47 0.1 14 0.1 — — — — Korea 1047 2.0 368 1.8 352 2.2 1,032 1.1 Kuwait 886 1.7 307 1.5 183 1.1 2,274 2.5 Laos 20 — 3 — 4 — 9 — Lebanon 169 0.3 91 0.4 37 0.2 305 0.3 Lesotho 44 0.1 26 0.1 33 0.2 156 0.2 Liberia 130 0.2 37 0.2 8 — 37 — Libya 598 1.1 219 1.1 82 0.5 1,143 1.2 Luxembourg 24 — 13 0.1 7 — 17 — Malagasy Republic 377 0.7 117 0.6 23 0.1 — — Malawi 118 0.2 65 0.3 36 0.2 204 0.2 Malaysia 1,160 2.2 344 1.7 264 1.6 1,531 1.7 Malta, Republic of 215 0.4 110 0.5 113 0.7 680 0.7 Mauritius 182 0.3 50 0.2 16 0.1 197 0.2 Mexico 363 0.7 225 1.1 190 1.2 474 0.5 Monaco — — — — — — 4 — Mongolia 30 0.1 2 — 10 0.1 42 — Morocco 257 0.5 71 0.3 46 0.3 387 0.4 Nepal 11 — 7 — 7 — 47 0.1 Netherlands 19 — 8 — 8 — 16 — New Zealand — — 4 — — — 1 — Nicaragua 68 0.1 14 0.1 5 — 57 0.1 Nigeria, Federal Republic of 3,124 5.9 1,104 5.4 1,478 9.2 6,450 7.0 Norway 71 0.1 37 0.2 11 0.1 76 0.1 Oman 130 0.2 70 0.3 78 — 463 0.5 Pakistan 1,402 2.7 754 3.7 464 2.9 2,315 2.5 Panama 124 0.2 63 0.3 75 0.5 279 0.3 Paraguay 202 0.4 108 0.5 72 0.4 262 0.3 Peru 424 0.8 162 0.8 56 0.3 468 0.5 Philippines 155 0.3 45 0.2 27 0.2 118 0.1 Poland 1,549 2.9 483 2.4 268 1.7 3,148 3.4 Portugal 180 0.3 75 0.4 64 0.4 456 0.5 Qatar 336 0.6 205 1.0 195 1.2 1,710 1.8 Romania 341 0.6 185 0.9 232 1.4 846 0.9 Saudi Arabia 1,937 3.7 692 3.4 569 3.5 2,970 3.2 Senegal 190 0.4 22 0.1 50 0.3 300 0.3 Seychelles — — — — — — 11 — Sierra Leone 614 1.2 358 1.8 182 1.1 1,663 1.8 Singapore 31 0.1 26 0.1 19 0.1 57 0.1 Somali Democratic Republic 43 0.1 40 0.2 29 0.2 172 0.2 South Africa, Republic of 6 — 7 — 10 0.1 133 0.1 Soviet Union 672 1.3 301 1.5 230 1.4 1,243 1.3 Spain 245 0.5 156 0.8 166 1.0 567 0.6 Sri Lanka 271 0.5 113 0.6 57 0.4 404 0.4 Sudan 453 0.9 207 1.0 227 1.4 1,187 1.3 Swaziland 60 0.1 17 0.1 23 0.1 203 0.2 Sweden 16 — 5 — 12 0.1 113 0.1
1974 January to may 1975 October to December 1975 1976 Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Switzerland 33 0.1 25 0.l 15 0.1 41 — Syrian Arab Republic 139 0.3 76 0.4 22 0.1 547 0.6 Tanzania 389 0.7 196 1.0 151 0.9 626 0.7 Thailand 1,068 2.0 360 1.8 228 1.4 820 0.9 Tonga 7 — 4 — 1 — 9 — Trinidad and Tobago 351 0.7 107 0.5 55 0.3 233 0.3 Tunisia 484 0.9 138 0.7 94 0.6 412 0.4 Turkey 1,052 2.0 320 1.6 181 1.1 1,046 1.1 Uganda 481 0.9 116 0.6 149 0.9 536* 0.6 United Arab Emirates 119 0.2 181 0.9 70 0.4 322 0.3 United States of America 85 0.2 55 0.3 35 0.2 189 0.2 Uruguay 49 0.1 12 0.1 18 0.1 55 0.1 Venezuela 332 0.6 182 0.9 136 0.8 953 1.0 Vietnam 110 0.2 38 0.2 — — — — Yemen Arab Republic 282 0.5 57 0.3 53 0.3 307 0.3 Yemen, People's Democratic Republic 82 0.2 25 0.1 35 0.2 322 0.3 Yugoslavia 967 1.8 432 2.1 345 2.1 1,658 1.8 Zaire 378 0.7 164 0.8 131 0.8 623 0.7 Zambia 858 1.6 307 1.5 181 1.1 1,168 1.3 Commonwealth Secretariat 76 0.1 33 0.2 25 0.2 128 0.1 Eastern Caribbean Commission — — — — — — 1 — EEC Commission 6 — 3 — 2 — 13 — International Cocoa Organisation — — — — — — 6 — International Coffee Organisation 49 0.1 43 0.2 35 0.2 81 0.1 Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation 8 — 9 — 14 0.1 77 0.1 Western European Union 13 — 1 — — — 31 — United Nations — — 1 — — — 57 0.1 TOTALS 52,839 20,398 16,106 92,985 * This figure relates to the period up to 28th July 1976 when diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Uganda were broken off.