Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations: Debts
(6 years ago)
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The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Jeremy Hunt)
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has held meetings with a number of missions about outstanding parking fine debt, outstanding national non-domestic rates payments and unpaid congestion charge debt. The director of protocol raises the issue in his introductory meetings with all new ambassadors and high commissioners whose missions are in debt to the relevant authorities. FCO officials also press diplomatic missions and international organisations to pay outstanding fines and debts. Earlier this year, protocol directorate wrote to diplomatic missions and international organisations concerned giving them the opportunity to either pay their outstanding debts, or appeal against specific fines if they considered that they had been issued incorrectly. Diplomatic Mission/International Organisation 2017 Amount of Outstanding Fines (excluding congestion charge) High Commission for the Federal Republic of Nigeria £39,225 High Commission for the Republic of Zambia £20,450 Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia £18,535 Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia £12,920 Embassy of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire £11,145 Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan £10,885 Embassy of the United Arab Emirates £10,825 Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman £9,650 Malaysian High Commission £8,965 Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan £8,735 Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan £7,885 Embassy of Libya £7,075 Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan £6,890 Embassy of France £4,960 Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan £4,485 Embassy of the State of Qatar £4,055 Embassy of the Republic of Iraq £3,685 People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria £3,010 Embassy of the Republic of Liberia £2,940 Office of the High Commissioner for India £2,835 High Commission for Sierra Leone £2,445 Embassy of the State of Kuwait £2,415 Embassy of the People's Republic of China £2,290 Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania £2,090 High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan £2,030 Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia £2,005 Embassy of Romania £1,785 Embassy of the Russian Federation £1,770 Embassy of the Republic of Angola £1,750 Royal Thai Embassy £1,625 Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan £1,510 Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam £1,320 Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria £1,210 Embassy of Georgia £1,210 Embassy of Ukraine £1,200 Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan £1,120 High Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania £1,070 Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan £137,122 Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran £123,570 Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe £101,694 Embassy of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria £74,933 Embassy of Libya £76,304 High Commission for Sierra Leone £67,573 High Commission for the Republic of Zambia £56,325 Embassy of the Republic of Iraq £55,015 Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt £53,977 Uganda High Commission £44,489 Embassy of the Republic of Angola £38,074 Malaysian High Commission £37,793 High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan £36,560 Embassy of the Republic of Liberia £32,806 High Commission for the Republic of Cameroon £32,196 Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia £35,061 Embassy of the Republic of Albania £26,831 High Commission for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka £26,278 Embassy of Ukraine £23,602 Embassy of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire £22,602 The Commonwealth Secretariat £18,496 Embassy of the State of Qatar £17,573 Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania £12,143 Country Number of fines Total outstanding Embassy of the United States of America 99,150 £11,925,920 Embassy of Japan 66,783 £8,021,190 High Commission for the Federal Republic of Nigeria 56,085 £6,724,405 Embassy of the Russian Federation 48,136 £5,653,955 Office of the High Commissioner for India 43,940 £5,394,580 Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany 36,770 £4,288,680 Embassy of the People’s Republic of China 34,256 £4,337,295 Embassy of the Republic of Poland 33,350 £4,065,250 Office of the High Commissioner for Ghana 30,080 £3,655,695 Embassy of the Republic of Sudan 27,016 £3,160,730 Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan 25,281 £3,116,930 High Commission for Kenya 21,729 £2,569,330 Embassy of France 18,188 £2,172,845 High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 17,010 £2,105,395 High Commission for the United Republic of Tanzania 16,621 £1,945,100 Embassy of Spain 16,112 £1,927,350 Embassy of the Republic of Korea 15,527 £1,907,655 Embassy of the Republic of Cuba 13,442 £1,650,310 Embassy of Algeria 13,395 £1,590,040 High Commission for the Republic of South Africa 13,359 £1,555,650 Embassy of Romania 13,327 £1,581,930 High Commission for Sierra Leone 12,535 £1,470,390 Embassy of Greece 12,093 £1,428,025 Embassy of Ukraine 12,014 £1,412,810 Embassy of Hungary 9,314 £1,118,250 High Commission for the Republic of Cyprus 8,971 £1,081,995 High Commission for the Republic of Zambia 7,840 £928,580 Embassy of the Republic of Yemen 7,700 £919,630 Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria 6,971 £812,180 High Commission for the Republic of Cameroon 6,069 £712,515 Embassy of the Republic of Belarus 5,877 £691,840 High Commission for Botswana 5,832 £710,440 High Commission for the Republic of Malawi 5,803 £694,645 High Commission for the Republic of Mozambique 5,535 £660,870 Embassy of the Slovak Republic 5,522 £644,985 Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia 5,429 £634,600 High Commission for the Republic of Namibia 5,380 £602,145 Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe 5,350 £606,395 High Commission for Kingdom of Swaziland 5,175 £602,440 Embassy of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire 4,979 £594,655 Embassy of the Republic of Turkey 4,926 £606,645 High Commission for Malta 4,723 £574,890 Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania 4,617 £556,695 Embassy of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea 4,493 £527,795 Embassy of Austria 4,481 £538,875 High Commission for Mauritius 4,434 £521,990 High Commission for the Kingdom of Lesotho 4,087 £479,600 Embassy of the Republic of Liberia 4,045 £492,485 Uganda High Commission 4,026 £483,530 Embassy of Belgium 3,661 £438,575 Embassy of the Czech Republic 3,602 £418,780 Embassy of the Republic of Guinea 3,574 £181,630 Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam 3,471 £411,520 Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 3,440 £409,465 High Commission for Jamaica 3,080 £368,945 Royal Danish Embassy 3,049 £365,045 Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco 2,953 £377,535 Embassy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,839 £353,530 Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan 2,729 £351,005 High Commission for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka 2,724 £344,725 Embassy of Tunisia 2,613 £322,495 Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt 2,300 £243,220 Embassy of Portugal 2,297 £282,130 Embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 2,249 £259,380 Embassy of the Republic of Latvia 2,247 £271,850 Embassy of Finland 2,224 £266,550 Embassy of the Republic of Iraq 2,206 £280,190 High Commission for Antigua & Barbuda 2,151 £255,060 Embassy of Luxembourg 2,029 £244,770 Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia 2,009 £245,590 Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 1,826 £200,150 High Commission for Belize 1,779 £220,740 Embassy of Estonia 1,455 £180,115 Embassy of the State of Eritrea 1,266 £150,530 Embassy of the Dominican Republic 1,231 £147,690 High Commission for Guyana 1,186 £139,635 The Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the International Maritime Organisation 1,095 £80,510 High Commission for the Republic of the Maldives 1,074 £132,445 High Commission for Seychelles 1,052 £128,005 Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania 1,025 £109,050 Embassy of El Salvador 964 £115,330 Embassy of the Republic of Moldova 838 £100,225
Parking fines: In 2017, 4,737 parking fines incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations in London were brought to our attention by local councils, Transport for London and the City of London. These totalled £444,618.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has held meetings with missions which have substantial outstanding parking fine debts. In addition, in May this year we wrote to diplomatic missions and international organisations concerned giving them the opportunity either to pay their outstanding fines or appeal against them if they considered that the fines had been issued incorrectly.
Subsequent payments (including amounts waived by the above authorities) totalled £173,443. There remains a total of £271,175 in unpaid fines for 2017.
The table below details those diplomatic missions and international organisations which have outstanding fines from 2017 totalling £1,000 or more, as of 31 July 2018.
National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR):
The majority of diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom pay the national non-domestic rates (NNDR) due from them. Diplomatic missions and international organisations are obliged to pay only 6% of the total NNDR value of their offices. This represents payment for specific services received such as street cleaning and street lighting.
Representations by protocol directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to missions in 2018 led to the settlement of outstanding debts by a number of missions.
As at 20 September 2018, the total amount of outstanding NNDR payments, due before 31 December 2017, owed by foreign diplomatic missions and international organisations as advised by the Valuation Office Agency is £1,507,576, an increase of 43% over the 2016 figure, as reported in the 2017 WMS (£1,049,999). However, £73,589 of this outstanding debt is owed by Syria—which is not currently represented in the UK and we have therefore been unable to pursue this debt. Three missions are responsible for over a fifth of the remainder. We shall continue to urge those with NNDR debt to pay their dues.
The missions listed below owed over £10,000 in respect of NNDR.
London Congestion Charge: The value of unpaid congestion charge debt incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations in London since its introduction in February 2003 until 31 December 2017 as advised by Transport for London (TfL) was £110,069,300. The table below shows those diplomatic missions and international organisations with outstanding fines of £100,000 or more. FCO officials continue to press diplomatic missions to pay congestion charge and any other outstanding debts. The director of protocol raises the issue in his introductory meetings with all new ambassadors and high commissioners whose missions are in debt to TfL. Officials also write to diplomatic missions and international organisations with large congestion charge debts to encourage payment.
Figures for previous years are available in the Secretary for State for Foreignand Commonwealth Affairs’ written statement to the House on 11 October 2017 (HCWS154) which can be found at: https://www.parliament.uk/business/ publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-10-11/HCWS154/.
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