§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a copy of the letter of 19 April from the vice marshal of the Diplomatic Corps to all heads of mission in the United Kingdom about illegal parking in London.
§ Mr. RentonThe text of the letter and of its second enclosure are as follows:
19 April 1985
Illegal Parking
I must once again draw your attention to the problem of the parking of diplomatic vehicles in London. The number of unpaid fixed penalty notices for parking offences by diplomatic vehicles is now running at the enormous figure of over 100,000 a year. This is double the figure of only 5 years ago and represents a much higher proportion of the total number of such offences.
I enclose a copy of a Parliamentary Answer given on 13 February by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office, which gives details of the total number of fixed parking penalty notices cancelled on grounds of diplomatic immunity for the three-year period 1981–1983 (which is the latest period for which complete figures were then available) broken down by country and organisation. The 1984 figures, which are still subject to late payments and cancellations, are also enclosed. These figures include both official and private vehicles. The successful efforts made by certain Missions to keep their figures down are appreciated. The very high figures for certain other Missions have also been noted.
This is a matter of growing public concern. Illegally parked vehicles not only cause inconvenience to residents in the areas affected but also contribute to traffic congestion, disrupt access, cause delays in public transport, hinder emergency services and 460W generally prevent others from conducting their lawful official and private business. Moreover they bring discredit on the diplomatic community as a whole.
In my circular of 1 June 1983 I noted that "several Heads of Mission have told me that their staff (like those of UK Missions abroad) are under instructions to pay their parking penalties except where they have been unavoidably incurred on essential official duty—not simply on daily travel to and from work". It is clear however from the statistics either that many Missions do not have such instructions or alternatively that compliance with them is far from being fully effective.
As you will be aware, diplomats are obliged under Article 41 of the Vienna Convention to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state. Deliberate and persistent disregard of this obligation cannot be ignored or regarded as acceptable behaviour by those concerned. In his letter of 15 August 1984 the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office drew attention to the Secretary of State's statement to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons on 18 July that we would henceforth expect and apply more stringent standards.
The Government of course recognise that certain individual Missions, because of their geographical location, face particular difficulties. In this connection I should like to remind you that the Local Authorities have agreed to allocate up to three marked parking bays ("St. Andrew's Crosses") to each diplomatic Mission plus one for each Head of Mission, subject to local traffic conditions.
In my letter of 12 December 1983 I informed you that cars, bearing diplomatic registration plates would be exempted from wheel-clamping. This remains the position but the exemption of the diplomatic corps has, as you will be aware, continued to arouse criticism from the press and Londoners generally. This is all the more reason for impressing upon your staff the importance of scrupulous adherence to parking regulations. In cases where diplomatic vehicles cause obstruction or danger, they will continue to be towed away. We expect the towing charge to be paid on the basis that it is a legal obligation in respect of a service performed.
As from 1 May 1985 detailed records will be kept of unpaid parking tickets by all cars with diplomatic registration plates. Persistent and deliberate failure by individual diplomats in their private cars to respect parking regulations and to pay fixed penalty notices will henceforth call into question their continued acceptability as members of diplomatic Missions in London. Where necessary particular cases will be drawn to our personal attention with a warning about the possible consequences. Due account will be taken if the parking tickets are subsequently paid or appropriate contributions made to the Central Ticket Office. Further unpaid parking tickets incurred by individuals will lead to a request for the withdrawal of the offender. An alternative in certain cases could be to grant a waiver of immunity so that the person concerned can be prosecuted.
Note will also be made of the total number of fixed penalty notices incurred by individual official cars of diplomatic Missions and left unpaid. In particular cases these will be drawn to your personal attention with a request, in the first instance, for appropriate action. If this has no effect, we shall be obliged to take further measures. This could include exercising the right under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention to declare a chauffeur unacceptable.
I trust that I will be able to count on your full cooperation and that it will not be necessary for me to draw individual cases to your attention. I must however leave you in no doubt about the strength of public feeling on this question and of the Government's determination to reduce very substantially the present level of illegal parking by individual vehicles.
Signed E H B Gibbs
Vice Marshall of the Diplomatic Corps
461W
Fixed penalty notices cancelled on grounds of diplomatic immunity (metropolitan police district) Organisation/country 1984 Afghanistan 11 Algeria 932 Antigua and Barbuda 17 Argentine Republic 0 Australia 2 462W
Organisation/country 1984 Austria 51 Bahamas 21 Bahrain 644 Bangladesh 404 Barbados 319 Belgium 154 Bolivia 71 Botswana 62 Brazil 4,927 Brunei 86 Bulgaria 2,823 Burma 407 Cameroon 1,293 Canada 132 Chile 610 China 1,132 Colombia 553 Costa Rica 471 Cuba 2,147 Cyprus 2,698 Czechoslovakia 316 Dahomey 0 Denmark 1 Dominica, Commonwealth of 22 Dominican Republic 45 Eastern Caribbean St 28 Ecuador 304 Egypt 6,885 E1 Salvador 9 Ethiopia 530 Fiji 93 Finland 580 France 2,375 Gabon 345 Gambia 362 German Democratic Republic 198 Germany, Federal Republic of 226 Ghana 2,223 Greece 1,321 Grenada 5 Guyana 193 Haiti 0 Honduras 142 Hungary 1,456 Iceland 154 India 512 Indonesia 2,232 Iran 894 Iraq 2,783 Ireland, Republic of 755 Israel 282 Italy 2,981 Ivory Coast 911 Jamaica 1,446 Japan 2,378 Jordan 2,595 Kenya 1,739 Khmer Republic 0 Korea 218 Kuwait 996 Laos 0 Lebanon 73 Lesotho 69 Liberia 177 Libya 764 Luxembourg 2 463W
Organisation/country 1984 Malagasy Republic 0 Malawi 119 Malaysia 2,440 Malta, Republic of 564 Mauritius 176 Mexico 467 Monaco 2 Mongolia 12 Morocco 1,248 Nepal 67 Netherlands 33 New Zealand 1 Nicaragua 27 Nigeria, Federal Republic of 5,920 Norway 91 Oman 1,155 Pakistan 2,249 Panama 329 Papua New Guinea 18 Paraguay 270 Peru 690 Philippines 466 Poland 2,463 Portugal 969 Qatar 1,727 Romania 484 Rwanda 0 Saudi Arabia 4,956 Senegal 555 Seychelles 17 Sierra Leone 437 Singapore 87 Somali Democratic Republic 325 South Africa, Republic of 25 Soviet Union 1,555 Spain 1,513 Sri Lanka 588 Sudan 2,635 Swaziland 21 Sweden 196 Switzerland 50 Syria Arab Republic 980 Tanzania 1,033 Thailand 1,637 Togo 99 Tonga 10 Trinidad and Tobago 164 Tunisia 355 Turkey 1,263 Uganda 1,906 United Arab Emirates 1,693 United States of America 223 Uruguay 438 Venezuela 793 Vietnam 7 Yemen Arab Republic 226 Yemen, Peoples Democratic Republic 370 Yugoslavia 1,061 Zaire 257 Zambia 953 Zimbabwe 666 Commonwealth Secretariat 212 EEC Commission 7
Organisation/country 1984 International Cocoa Organisation 1 International Coffee Organisation 1 International Sugar Organisation 0 Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation 31 International Maritime Satellite Organisation 31 Western European Union 3 International Wheat Council 2 United Nations 6 Apostolic Delegation 0 TOTAL 108,932