§ Mrs. Peacockasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will detail the number of people accredited to foreign embassies and delegations in London.
§ Mr. RifkindThe numbers of people accredited in London and entitled to full diplomatic immunity from criminal jurisdiction are as follows:
Numbers Diplomatic staff of diplomatic missions: 2,309 Administrative and technical staff of diplomatic missions 2,147 Diplomatic staff of the Commonwealth Secretariat 60 High officers of international organisations 11 Consular officers and employees of the Polish consulate-general (Cmnd, 7372 of 1978) 9 Total: 4,536 In addition, there are 306 members of the service staff of diplomatic missions who enjoy immunity in respect of acts performed in the course of their duties, under article 37.3 of the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations; 314 officers and servants of the Commonwealth secretariat 868W who under the Commonwealth Secretariat Act 1966 have immunity from suit and legal process in respect of acts or omissions done in the course of the performance of official duties (but this immunity does not extend to motor car accidents or motor traffic offences); 1,216 officers and servants of international organisations who have immunity from suit and legal process in respect of things done or omitted to be done in the course of the performance of their official duties, under the International Organisations Act 1968; and 249 consular officers and consular employees in London who under article 43 of the Vienna convention on consular relations are not amenable to the jurisdiction of the judicial or administrative authorities of the receiving state in respect of acts performed in the exercise of consular functions.
We do not have records of the numbers of locally-engaged staff who are not entitled to any immunity.