HC Deb 14 March 1985 vol 75 cc245-6W
Mr. Peter Bruinvels

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many diplomats have claimed diplomatic immunity in relation to alleged criminal offences in each of the past 10 years; of these numbers, how many diplomats then left the United Kingdom and how many continued in office; and what was the general nature of the charges.

Mr. Renton

The evidence given by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in June 1984 to the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs gave details of criminal offences since 1 January 1974 allegedly committed by persons enjoying diplomatic immunity. This evidence listed 13 alleged serious offences in 1984 which were then known to us. The known total for the whole of 1984 is 48, of which the general nature was: drinking and driving 32; theft 13; other three.

The following numbers of diplomats are known to have been transferred from the United Kingdom following representations by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office about offences they are alleged to have committed:

1982 14
1983 17
1984 13
1985 to date four (plus one waiver of immunity)

The corresponding figures for the earlier years could not be extracted from our records except at disproportionate cost. Centralised records were not kept before 1982.