HL Deb 28 July 1988 vol 500 c474WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What attributes a legal person must have to qualify for the benefits, fiscal or other, of sovereign immunity.

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Lord Young of Graffham)

A legal person may qualify for sovereign immunity from direct taxation if it is an integral part of a foreign state which is itself entitled to that immunity.

As regards other issues, these are covered by the State Immunity Act 1978, Section 14(1) of which defines the term "State".