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Diplomatic Missions: Serious Offences
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Jack Straw): From a community of around 20,000 in the United Kingdom entitled to immunity, 16 serious offences, allegedly committed by such persons, were drawn to the attention of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2003. Serious offences are defined in accordance with the 1985 White Paper on Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges—that is as offences that would in certain circumstances, carry a penalty of 12 months or more imprisonment.
Diplomatic Missions: Unpaid Traffic Fines
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Jack Straw):
There were 4,565 outstanding parking and other minor traffic violation fines incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisation in the United Kingdom recorded during the year 1 January
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2003 to 31 December 2003. These totalled £407,950.00. In May this year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wrote to all affected diplomatic missions and international organisation giving them the opportunity either to pay their outstanding fines or to appeal against them if they considered that the fines had been issued incorrectly. As a result payments totalling £49,280.00 were received, leaving a total of 3,941 (£350,170.00) unpaid fines for 2003. The table below details those diplomatic missions and international organisations that have 11 or more undisputed fines unpaid.
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The number of outstanding fines incurred by diplomatic missions in the UK for non-payment of the London congestion charge at the end of its first year of operation in February 2004 was 1,847. The table below shows the 10 diplomatic missions with the highest number of outstanding fines. 1 Egypt 250 2 U.A.E 182 3 Angola 126 4 Kazakhstan 84 5 Sudan 81 6 Tanzania 72 7 Sierra Leone 66 8 Zimbabwe 52 9 Algeria 50 10 Malawi 50
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Mental Capacity Bill
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Mr. David Lammy): My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, has made the following written ministerial statement.
The draft code of practice that supports the Mental Capacity Bill has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The Mental Capacity Bill, when it is being considered at Commons Committee stage will be informed by having the draft code available. (We are not in parliamentary terms scrutinising the code itself). The code gives a greater level of detail on many of the Bill's provisions and demonstrates how we think those acting under the Bill will need to be guided when putting these provisions into practice.
LEADER OF THE HOUSE
State Opening of Parliament
The Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Peter Hain): The State Opening of Parliament will be on Tuesday 23 November. I plan to announce the date of prorogation as soon as I am able.
NORTHEN IRELAND
Tourist Board
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Barry Gardiner): The Northern Ireland Tourist Board's 2002–03 annual report and accounts were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses today.