§ Mr. Bowen Wellsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions in each year since 1964 a British subject in the United Kingdom has suffered personal injury or damage to property as a result of a car accident involving another party whose diplomatic immunity prevented the British subject taking a civil action for damages in the courts; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RifkindClaims arising from motoring offences are settled by the diplomat's insurance company. Persons entitled to immunity are not exempt from the obligation to carry third party insurance, and insurance companies gave us specific assurances some years ago that they would not attempt to invoke the immunity of diplomatic clients in this context. The assurances have been carried out.
We have no means of knowing how many times diplomatic immunity has been claimed in civil cases, whether or not such cases arose out of a motoring accident.