HL Deb 28 July 1997 vol 582 cc1-2WA
Lord Marlesford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

With reference to the 34 alleged serious offences by persons entitled to diplomatic immunity drawn to the attention of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1996, in which countries' diplomatic missions the persons concerned were employed.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The 34 alleged serious offences committed by persons entitled to diplomatic immunity in 1996 were from the following missions:

3 offences Nigeria, Zimbabwe
2 offences Commonwealth Secretariat, Italy, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uganda
1 offence Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, Gabon, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Netherlands, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, Uruguay, USA

Lord Marlesford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How the figure of 34 alleged serious offences in 1996 by persons entitled to diplomatic immunity from a diplomatic community of 17,000 compares proportionately with other similar category offences committed by the population of the whole of the United Kingdom.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The figure of 34 alleged serious offences in 1996 by those entitled to diplomatic immunity (from a diplomatic community of 17,000) compares with similar offences committed by the population of the United Kingdom as follows:

Rate of Offenders per 17,000 population
Offence description England and Wales Northern Ireland Diplomatic Corps.
Drink/driving 31 32 18
Shoplifting 44 14 10
Breach of the peace 6 3 2
Actual bodily harm 13 10 1
Assault 10 14 3

Information for Scotland has not been included in the Answer due to differences in both the legal system and procedure and the methods for recording statistical information.