§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many times and in connection with what offences each of the diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have claimed dipolmatic privilege in each of the last five years for which records are available;
(2) in how many theft cases during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic privilege;
(3) in how many cases involving violence during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic privilege;
(4) in how many cases involving sexual offences during each of the past five years
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OFFENCES ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN COMMITTED BY PERSONS ENTITLED TO DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 Violence against the person … 3 3 7 1 4 Sexual offences … 1 2 3 0 3 Firearms and explosives … — — 1 — — Offences against the Theft Act 1968 (including shoplifting) … 22 25 24 23 34 Drugs offences … — — 1 3 2 Drink offences (e.g. drunk and disorderly) … 4 1 1 2 6 Road traffic offences involving drink … 15 13 18 27 13 Other road traffic offences* … 210 235 259 305 215 Other offences … 1 1 2 5 7 256 280 316 366 284 * Excluding those dealt with by fixed penalty notices. diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic privilege;
(5) in how many cases involving firearms and explosives during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic privilege;
(6) in how many cases involving drugs during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic privilege;
(7) in how many cases, other than those involving theft, violence, sexual offences, firearms, explosives, drink and drugs, during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic privilege;
(8) in how many cases involving shoplifting during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic immunity;
(9) in how many cases involving drink during each of the past five years diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James have invoked diplomatic immunity.
§ Mr. BrittanThe following table shows, in categories corresponding as nearly as possible to those requested, the number of offences alleged to have been committed in the five-year period 1975–1979 inclusive by persons entitled to diplomatic immunity where the possibility of criminal proceedings was not pursued in consequence of that entitlement. Since all these " offences " are, by definition, unproved, we do not consider that it would be appropriate to relate allegations to particular missions.
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§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, of the fixed penalty notice cancelled on grounds of diplomatic immunity during the six months ended 30 September 1979 and 31 March 1980, respectively, how many and what percentage were cancelled in respect of each of the diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James.
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FIXED PENALTY NOTICES CANCELLED ON GROUNDS OF DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY April to September 1979 October 1979 to March 1980 Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Afganistan … … … 21 0.07 15 0.06 Algeria … … … 92 0.32 102 0.41 Argentine Republic … … … 327 1.14 372 1.48 Australia … … … 7 0.02 11 0.04 Austria … … … 83 0.29 53 0.12 Bahamas … … … 1 — 5 – Bahrain … … … 105 0.37 48 o.l9 Bangladesh … … … 85 0.30 96 0.38 Barbados … … … 83 0.28 72 0.29 Belgium … … … 105 0.37 112 0.45 Bolivia … … … 41 0.14 18 0.07 Botswana … … … 19 0.07 11 0.04 Brazil … … … 355 1.24 292 1.16 Bulgaria … … … 687 2.40 727 2.89 Burma … … … 43 0.15 23 0.09 Cameroon … … … 254 0.89 164 0.65 Canada … … … 31 0.11 37 0.15 Chile … … … 28 0.10 24 0.10 China … … … 90 0.31 79 0.13 Colombia … … … 188 0.66 188 0.75 Costa Rica … … … 26 0.09 54 0.21 Cuba … … … 598 2.09 524 2.10 Cyprus … … … 795 2.77 634 2.52 Czechoslovakia … … … 58 0.20 102 0.41 Denmark … … … 16 0.06 26 0.10 Dominican Republic … … … 62 0.22 70 0.28 Commonwealth of Dominica … … … 2 0.01 4 0.02 Ecuador … … … 99 0.35 68 0.2/ Egypt … … … 1,615 5.65 1,006 4.00 El Salvador … … … 13 0.05 9 0.04 Ethiopia … … … 68 0.24 62 0.25 Fiji … … … 1 — 1 — Finland … … … 245 0.86 268 1.07 France … … … 1,063 3.72 1,078 4.29 Gabon … … … 71 0.25 78 0.31 Gambia … … … 96 0.34 62 0.25 German Democratic Rep … … … 125 0.44 95 0.38 Germany, Federal Repub. of … … … 68 0.24 94 0.37 Ghana … … … 745 2.60 537 2.02 Greece … … … 336 1.17 338 1.34 Grenada … … … 4 0.01 4 0.02 Guyana … … … 78 0.27 129 0.15 Haiti … … … 9 0.03 3 0.01 Honduras … … … 61 0.21 46 0.18 Hungary … … … 347 1.21 255 1.01 Iceland … … … 8 0.03 1 — India … … … 255 0.89 422 1.68 Indonesia … … … 289 1.01 319 1.27 Iran … … … 330 1.15 247 0.98 Iraq … … … 609 2.12 535 2.13 Ireland, Republic of … … … 48 0.17 69 0.27 Israel … … … 266 0.92 184 0.73 Italy … … … 203 0.71 288 1.15 Ivory Coast … … … 240 0.84 157 0.62 Jamaica … … … 724 2.53 547 2.18 Japan … … … 216 0.75 183 0.73 Jordan … … … 893 3.12 697 2.78
§ Mr. BrittanThe following table, compiled from provisional figures made available by the Metropolitan Police, gives particulars of the total number of fixed penalty notices cancelled on grounds of diplomatic immunity during the six months ended 30 September 1979 and 31 March 1980, respectively, and the percentage relating to each mission. 875W
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Apirl to September 1979 October 1979 to March 1980 Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Kenya … … 367 1.28 444 1.77 Korea … … 415 1.45 336 1.34 Kuwait … … 542 1.89 428 1.70 Laos … … 6 0.02 2 0.08 Lebanon … … 46 0.16 22 0.90 Lesotho … … 18 0.06 20 0.08 Liberia … … 49 0.17 50 0.20 Libya … … 940 3.29 821 3.27 Luxembourg … … 11 0.04 6 0.02 Malawi … … 21 0.07 10 0.04 Malaysia … … 697 2.44 634 2.52 Malta, Rep. of … … 141 0.49 83 0.33 Mauritius … … 69 0.24 48 0.19 Mexico … … 144 0.50 115 0.46 Mongolia … … 4 0.01 3 0.01 Morocco … … 161 0.56 213 0.85 Nepal … … 13 0.05 27 0.11 Netherlands … … 16 0.06 23 0.09 New Zealand … … — — 1 — Nicaragua … … — — — — Nigeria … … 2,739 9.59 2,361 9.40 Norway … … 32 0.11 23 0.09 Oman … … 265 0.93 144 0.57 Pakistan … … 680 2.38 433 1.73 Panama … … 108 0.38 216 0.86 Papua New Guinea … … 3 0.01 15 0.06 Paraguay … … 82 0.29 86 0.34 Peru … … 276 0.96 322 1.28 Philippines … … 99 0.35 136 0.54 Poland … … 300 1.05 199 0.79 Portugal … … 306 1.07 273 1.09 Qatar … … 317 1.11 271 1.08 Romania … … 371 1.30 279 1.11 Rwanda … … — — — — Saudi Arabia … … 1,067 3.73 963 3.83 Senegal … … 97 0.34 71 0.28 Seychelles … … 54 0.19 35 0.14 Sierra Leone … … 149 0.52 109 0.43 Singapore … … 28 0.10 30 0.12 Somali Democratic Rep … … 46 0.16 26 0.10 South Africa … … — — 15 0.06 Soviet Union … … 379 1.32 359 1.43 Spain … … 392 1.37 594 2.36 Sri Lanka … … 137 0.48 76 0.30 Sudan … … 354 1.23 227 0.90 Swaziland … … 60 0.21 12 0.05 Sweden … … 55 0.19 43 0.17 Switzerland … … 7 0.02 19 0.08 Syrian Arab Rep … … 150 0.52 139 0.55 Tanzania … … 145 0.51 161 0.64 Thailand … … 517 1.81 417 1.66 Togo … … 34 0.12 28 0.11 Tonga … … 1 — 1 — Trinidad and Tobago … … 98 0.34 81 0.32 Tunisia … … 76 0.26 115 0.46 Turkey … … 389 1.35 282 1.12 Uganda … … 6 0.02 54 0.21 United Arab Emirates … … 360 1.26 282 1.12 United States of America … … 98 0.34 68 0.27 Uruguay … … 21 0.07 32 0.13 Venezuela … … 254 0.89 183 0.73 Vietnam … … 4 0.01 1 — Yemen Arab Republic … … 55 0.19 114 0.45 Yemen—People's Democratic Rep. … … 90 0.3£ 56 0.22 Yugoslavia … … 348 1.21 436 1.74 Zaire … … 242 0.85 147 0.59 Zambia … … 274 0.96 224 0.89 Commonwealth Secretariat … … 23 0.08 41 0.16 Eastern Caribbean Commission … … — — 1 — EEC Commission … … 5 0.02 1 — International Cocoa Organisation … … 3 0.01 4 0.02
Apirl to September 1979 October 1979 to March 1980 International Coffee Organisation … … 1 — — — Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation … … 19 0.07 1 — Western European Union … … 1 0.03 8 0.03 United Nations … … — — — — NATO … … — — — — Totals … … 28,601 25,112
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will outline the current procedure employed by the Government when a fixed penalty notice ticket is left unpaid by an embassy, commission or other institution claiming diplomatic immunity; and, in view of the widespread abuse, if he will consider further steps towards the collection of sums involved.
§ Mr. BrittanA fixed penalty notice affixed to a vehicle owned or kept by a person entitled to diplomatic immunity is cancelled automatically if it is not paid within the prescribed period of 21 days. This necessarily involves the cancellation of any debt which would otherwise be due as a result of the notice.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list, country by country, the amounts of unpaid parking fines accumulated in the year 1979 by those claiming diplomatic immunity in the United Kingdom; and what percentage the unpaid amount represents out of the total fines recorded.
§ Mr. BrittanThe amount specified in a fixed penalty notice is £6, but 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, the question of unpaid parking fines accumulating does not arise.
The total number of fixed penalty notices cancelled on the grounds of diplomatic immunity represents 6.15 per cent.
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AVERAGE LENGTH OF TIME SPENT IN CUSTODY* BY THOSE IN CERTAIN CATEGORIES DISCHARGED FROM PRISON DEPARTMENT ESTABLISHMENTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES IN 1978 All establishments in England and Wales Average number of days Establishments in Greater London Drunkenness offences … … … 10 8 Offences relating to prostitution … … … 95 73 Fine defaulters … … … 17 15 * From date of sentence to date of discharge. of the total number of notices issued in 1979 by the Metropolitan Police.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider the inclusion of unpaid parking fines with the accounts for rates which are levied on building and land used by diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. BrittanNo.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licences for holding firearms, pistols and shotguns, repectively, have been issued to holders of diplomatic immunity during each of the past five years; and which countries they represent.
§ Mr. BrittanFirearms and shotgun certificates are issued by chief officers of police. The information requested is not held centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.