§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether records are kept of the number of licences for holding firearms, pistols and shotguns, which have been issued to holders of diplomatic immunity during each of the past five years; if so, how many such licences have been issued; and which countries they represent.
§ Mr. MayhewThe information requested is not held centrally and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, of the fixed penalty notices cancelled on grounds of diplomatic immunity during the 12 months ended 31 March 1981, 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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§ Mr. MayhewThe 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 12 months ended 31 March 1981 and the percentage related to each mission.
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Fixed Penalty Notices cancelled on grounds of Diplomatic Immunity Country April 1980 to March 1981 Per cent. Afghanistan 15 0.03 Algeria 323 0.62 Argentina 566 1.08 Australia 26 0.05 Austria 172 0.33 Bahamas 3 0.01 Bahrain 196 0.37 Bangladesh 137 0.26 Barbados 183 0.35 Belgium 150 0.29 Bolivia 102 0.20 Botswana 16 0.03 Brazil 891 1.70 Bulgaria 1,468 2.81 Burma 71 0.14 Cameroon 690 1.32 Canada 70 0.13 Chile 55 0.11 China 266 0.43 Colombia 359 0.69 Costa Rica 105 0.20 Cuba 1,017 1.94 Cyprus 1,203 2.03 Czechoslovakia 188 0.36 Denmark 39 0.07 Commonwealth of Dominica 4 0.01 Dominican Republic 178 0.34 Ecuador 255 0.49 Egypt 2,209 4.22 El Salvador 19 0.04 Ethiopia 311 0.59 Fiji 8 0.02 Finland 614 1.17 France 1,885 3.60 Gabon 243 0.46 Gambia 117 0.22 German Democratic Republic 237 0.45 Germany, Federal Republic of 188 0.36 Ghana 1,274 2.44 Greece 660 1.26 Grenada 3 0.01 Guyana 126 0.24 Haiti 16 0.03 Honduras 116 0.22 Hungary 535 1.02 Iceland 13 0.02 India 1,523 2.91 Indonesia 546 1.04 Iran 485 0.93 Iraq 1,541 2.95 Ireland, Republic of 148 0.28 Israel 352 0.67 Italy 598 1.14 Ivory Coast 340 0.65 Jamaica 1,009 1.93 Japan 370 0.71 Jordon 1,011 1.93 Kenya 758 1.45 Korea 721 1.38 Kuwait 991 1.90 Laos 12 0.02 Lebanon 107 0.20 Lesotho 47 0.09 Liberia 59 0.11 Libya 1,601 3.06 Luxembourg 2 — Malawi 14 0.03
Country April 1980 to March 1981 Per cent. Malaysia 951 1.82 Malta, Republic of 336 0.64 Mauritius 184 0.35 Mexico 244 0.47 Mongolia 5 0.01 Morocco 482 0.92 Nepal 34 0.07 Netherlands 46 0.09 New Zealand 5 0.01 Nicaragua 19 0.04 Nigeria 3,542 6.77 Norway 52 0.10 Oman 312 0.60 Pakistan 588 1.12 Panama 360 0.69 Papua New Guinea 18 0.03 Paraguay 202 0.39 Peru 437 0.84 Phillipines 234 0.45 Poland 461 0.88 Portugal 604 1.16 Qatar 601 1.15 Romania 570 1.09 Saudi Arabia 1,867 3.57 Senegal 219 0.42 Seychelles 45 0.09 Sierra Leone 227 0.43 Singapore 53 0.10 Somali Democratic Republic 58 0.11 South Africa 21 0.04 Soviet Union 906 1.73 Spain 1,020 1.95 Sri Lanka 174 0.33 Sudan 587 1.12 Swaziland 42 0.08 Sweden 125 0.24 Switzerland 80 0.15 Syrian Arab Republic 404 0.77 Tanzania 523 0.10 Thailand 926 1.77 Togo 72 0.14 Tonga 2 — Trinidad and Tobago 154 0.29 Tunisia 232 0.44 Turkey 641 1.23 Uganda 308 0.59 United Arab Emirates 867 1.66 United States of America 187 0.36 Uruguay 90 0.17 Venezuela 367 0.70 Vietnam 6 0.01 Yemen Arab Republic 252 0.48 Yemen, Democratic Peoples Republic 168 0.32 Yugoslavia 843 1.61 Zaire 350 0.67 Zambia 489 0.94 Zimbabwe 14 0.03 Commonwealth Secretariat 137 0.26 Eastern Caribbean Commission 4 0.01 EEC Commission 2 — International Cocoa Organisation 6 0.01 International Coffee Organisation 7 0.01 Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation 8 0.02 Western European Union 5 0.01 United Nations 1 — NATO — — TOTAL 52,293
§ 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 245W in the year 1980 by those claiming diplomatic immunity in the United Kingdom; and what percentage the unpaid amount represents out of the total fines recorded.
§ Mr. MayhewThe 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 4.56 per cent of the total number of notices issued in 1980 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 buildings or land used by diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. MayhewNo.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many times, and in what connection with what offences, each of the diplomatic commissions accredited to the Court of St. James have claimed diplomatic 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) asked 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 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;
§ Mr. MayhewThe following table shows, in categories corresponding to those requested as well as in other general categories, the number of offences alleged to have been committed in the five-year period 1976–1980 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, it would not be appropriate to relate allegations to particular missions.
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Offences alleged to have been committed by persons entitled to diplomatic immunity 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 Violence against the person 3 7 1 4 1 Sexual offences 2 3 0 3 2 Firearms and explosives — 1 — — 1 Offences against the Theft Act 1968 (including shoplifting) 25 24 23 34 20
1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 Drugs offences — 1 3 2 1 Drink offences (e.g. drunk and disorderly) 1 1 2 6 6 Road traffic offences involving drink 13 18 27 13 25 Other road traffic offences* 235 259 305 215 172 Other offences 1 2 5 7 9 Total 280 316 366 284 237 *excluding those dealt with by fixed penalty notices.