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Diplomatic Missions: Unpaid Traffic Fines

Volume 702: debated on Thursday 26 June 2008

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (David Miliband) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

In 2007, there were 6,241 recorded outstanding parking and other minor traffic violation fines incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations in the United Kingdom. These totalled £656,275. In March this year, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wrote to all diplomatic missions and international organisations concerned, giving them the opportunity to either pay their outstanding fines or appeal against them if they considered that the fines had been issued incorrectly. As a result of subsequent payments totalling £27,300 and formal appeals lodged, there remains a total of 5,093 (£538,745) unpaid fines for 2007. The table below details those diplomatic missions and international organisations that have outstanding fines totalling £1,000 or more.

Diplomatic Mission/International Organisation

Number of fines outstanding (excluding Congestion Charge)

Amount in £

Sudan

696

75,100

Saudi Arabia

382

38,730

Kazakhstan

280

28,180

China

243

26,230

UAE

225

24,670

France

195

20,920

Guinea

168

18,220

Egypt

167

18,140

Turkey

140

15,360

Russia

130

14,160

Libya

132

13,450

Cyprus

118

12,450

Nigeria

97

11,430

Afghanistan

108

11,010

Cote d’Ivoire

72

8,170

Romania

78

8,100

Greece

78

7,940

Georgia

69

7,610

Hungary

69

7,100

Malaysia

64

6,960

Mozambique

64

6,830

Tunisia

62

6,700

Uzbekistan

62

6,550

Zambia

63

6,310

Pakistan

53

6,260

Jordan

55

5,990

Algeria

67

5,820

Iran

56

5,690

Senegal

55

5,290

Oman

45

5,090

Ukraine

47

4,880

Ghana

42

4,140

Kenya

35

3,940

USA

36

3,660

Bangladesh

31

3,530

Liberia

31

3,480

Germany

32

3,250

Iraq

27

3,090

Bulgaria

29

3,070

Albania

28

2,840

Lithuania

28

2,740

North Korea

31

2,590

Equatorial Guinea

25

2,440

Lesotho

18

2,330

Yemen

22

2,260

Ethiopia

21

2,210

Tanzania

19

2,170

International Maritime Org.

20

2,010

Poland

19

2,000

Belgium

19

1,900

Kuwait

18

1,900

Syria

17

1,810

Zimbabwe

17

1,760

Swaziland

16

1,740

Thailand

17

1,730

Honduras

17

1,660

Mauritius

13

1,580

Morocco

14

1,510

Italy

14

1,460

South Africa

12

1,460

Jamaica

16

1,420

Cameroon

13

1,350

Kyrgyzstan

13

1,260

Slovak Republic

12

1,220

Vietnam

9

1,090

Mongolia

10

1,060

Moldova

11

1,060

Botswana

10

1,020

Malawi

9

1,020

Totals

4,933

520,100

Congestion Charge

The number of outstanding fines incurred by diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom for non-payment of the London congestion charge since its introduction in February 2003 until 14 May 2008 was 175,482. The table below shows the 10 diplomatic missions with the highest value of outstanding fines.

Mission

No of fines outstanding

Value (£)

USA

23,188

2,347,205

Japan

13,062

1,334,560

Russian Federation

12,765

1,308,720

Germany

11,213

1,149,050

Nigeria

11,096

1,120,650

Sudan

7,984

793,300

Kenya

5,084

502,630

Tanzania

4,654

461,080

India

3,949

409,360

South Africa

4,098

406,480