Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anelay of St Johns (HLWS116), what action they have been taking on the issue of unpaid parking fines incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations to ensure fines are duly and regularly paid; and with what result.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has held meetings throughout the past year with a number of diplomatic missions and international organisations about outstanding parking fines and other debts. The subject of a mission’s outstanding debts is also raised with all incoming Heads of Mission. In April this year FCO officials wrote to all diplomatic missions with unpaid parking fines over £500 to give them the opportunity to either pay the outstanding fines, or to dispute them with the creditors, before the publication of the details to Parliament. Subsequent payments of parking fines, including amounts waived by councils, totalled £214,154.