§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will initiate talks with Foreign Ministers of those countries which have acceded to the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations, with a view to reconvening the United Nations conference on diplomatic intercourse and immunities to discuss amendments to the aforesaid convention which would tighten the loopholes and abuses of diplomatic immunity.
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§ Mr. HurdNo. The Vienna Convention is a relatively modern and well thought-out international law. Problems arise, not from the provisions of the convention but from its imperfect observance.
A number of countries have proposed that the convention should be amended but they want to widen rather than restrict the immunities which the convention provides. These matters are being considered by the International Law Commission.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now introduce proposals to enable electronic surveillance of diplomatic baggage to be carried out.
§ Mr. HurdNo. We are advised that electronic surveillance would not necessarily reveal a misuse of the diplomatic bag. Moreover, it is our view that although such surveillance is not specifically forbidden by article 7 of the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations, to do so would be inconsistent with the status which that article accords to the diplomatic bag. Were we to learn of abuse of diplomatic bags in any way, we would take the necessary action.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will publish a list of all the institutions and organisations to which the United Kingdom accords privileges and immunities.
§ Mr. HurdThe diplomatic missions and those international organisations in the United Kingdom to which privileges and immunities are granted in accordance with international agreements are shown in the London Diplomatic List, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. To these should be added the Commonwealth agricultural bureaux which will be included in the next edition of the list.
In addition, the United Kingdom is party to agreements with a number of other international organisations which are not based in this country. With the approval of Parliament, their officials and the representatives of the member States are accorded certain privileges and immunities when on official business in this country.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will list the number of diplomats, the number of members of families of diplomats and the number of other persons with diplomatic immunity in each diplomatic commission currently represented in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. HurdThe number of diplomats and administrative and technical staff of diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom is set out in the following list. It would involve a disproportionate effort to count the individual members of the families of the persons listed. It is estimated that their total number is approximately 15,700.
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Embassies/High Commissions Accredited to the Court of St. James's Diplomatic Administrative and Technical Afghanistan, Republic of 3 — Algeria 15 — Argentina, Republic of — — Australia 48 59 748W
Diplomatic Administrative and Technical Austria 13 20 Bahamas, Commonwealth of the 1 — Bahrain, State of 8 — Bangladesh, People's Republic of 17 35 Barbados 12 1 Belgium 13 33 Benin, Republic of (non-resident) 5 — Bolivia 7 — Botswana 3 1 Brazil 34 112 (Argentine interests section) 4 2 Bulgaria, People's Republic of 18 28 Burma, Socialist Republic of the Union of 6 15 Burundi, Republic of (non-resident) 5 — Cameroon, United Republic of 18 10 Canada 51 56 Central African Republic (non-resident) 12 — Chad, Republic of (non-resident) 4 2 Chile 15 19 China, People's Republic of 66 20 Colombia 12 7 Congo, People's Republic of (non-resident) 12 — Costa Rica 2 — Cuba, Republic of 12 15 Cyprus 20 8 Czechoslovakia, Socialist Republic of 14 44 Denmark 19 15 Djibouti, Republic of (non-resident) 2 — Dominica, Commonwealth of 2 1 Dominican Republic 6 3 Ecuador 7 — Egypt, Arab Republic of 78 49 E1 Salvador 1 5 Equatorial Guinea, Republic of (non-resident) 2 — Ethiopia, Provisional Military Government of Socialist 7 — Fiji 5 — Finland 16 24 France 53 180 Gabon, Republic of 5 — The Gambia 6 — Germany, Federal Republic of 48 87 German Democratic Republic 13 21 Ghana 50 10 Greece 20 16 Grenada 4 — Guinea, Republic of (non-resident) 8 — Guyana 11 — Haiti, Republic of 1 2 Holy See 2 — Honduras 3 1 Hungary, People's Republic of 12 21 Iceland 4 3 India 75 290 Indonesia 20 11 Iran, Islamic Republic of 11 6 Iraq, Republic of 50 69 Ireland, Republic of 14 45 Israel 39 21 Italy 22 73 Ivory Coast 8 5 Jamaica 21 3 Japan 49 3 Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of 22 54 Kenya 25 — Kiribati (non-resident) 1 — Korea, Republic of 16 1 Kuwait, State of 16 — Laos, People's Democratic Republic of 2 2 Lebanon 6 3 Lesotho, Kingdom of 3 2 Liberia, Republic of 6 1 Libya, People's Bureau of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 19 22
Diplomatic Administrative and Technical Luxembourg 1 — Madagascar, Republic of (non-resident) 2 — Malawi, Republic 8 — Malayasia 43 27 Mali, Republic of (non-resident) 3 1 Malta 7 2 Mauritania, Islamic Republic of (non-resident) 10 — Mauritius 9 7 Mexico 36 10 Mongolia, People's Republic of 4 2 Morocco, Kingdom of 12 16 Nepal 4 2 Netherlands, The 19 58 New Zealand 25 16 Nicaragua 2 — Niger, Republic of (non-resident) 3 — Nigeria, Federal Republic of 99 7 Norway 18 19 Oman, Sultanate of 12 — Pakistan 37 71 Panama, Republic of 13 — Papua New Guinea 5 — Paraguay 6 — Peru 11 23 Philippines 14 19 Poland, People's Republic of 21 18 Portugal 13 42 Qatar, State of 10 — Romania, Socialist Republic of 11 21 Rwanda, Republic of (non-resident) 3 — Saint Lucia 3 — Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 — Saudi Arabia 57 9 Senegal, Republic of 7 4 Sierra Leone 18 — Singapore, Republic of 5 3 Solomon Islands (non-resident) — — Somali Democratic Republic 7 — South Africa, Republic of 32 13 Soviet Union 46 45 Spain 27 118 Sri Lanka 14 15 Sudan, Democratic Republic of 37 — Swaziland, Kingdom of 5 1 Sweden 26 13 Switzerland 14 28 Syrian Arab Republic 18 3 Tanzania, United Republic of 13 — Thailand 27 16 Togo 4 1 Tonga 4 — Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of 16 3 Tunisia 6 — Turkey 33 12 Uganda 12 1 United Arab Emirates 10 — United States 114 230 Upper Volta (non-resident) 5 — Uruguay 7 2 Vanuatu (non-resident) 1 — Venezuela 21 17 Vietnam, Socialist Republic of 3 6 Yemen, People's Democratic Republic of 8 1 Yemen Arab Republic 11 — Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of 11 22 Zaire, Republic of 9 3 Zambia, Republic of 16 — Zimbabwe, Republic of 20 4 Commonwealth Secretariat 58 323 Total 2,450 2,790
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make representations to those Governments who have ratified the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations but who 749W either are known to have, or are suspected of having, abused the spirit or letter of the convention; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdOur practice is to make representations and if necessary to take the other action available to us under international law, when we consider there has been an infringement of the provisions of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations and of the Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government to diplomatic missions accredited to the Court of St. James concerning their use and abuse of diplomatic privilege during the last year; to which missions representations were made; what was the nature of the abuse; and what was the response of each of the countries concerned.
§ Mr. HurdThe details requested form part of confidential exchanges with diplomatic missions. We deal with such matters firmly.