Statement
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials have held meetings with a number of diplomatic missions and international organisations about outstanding parking fine debt, outstanding National Non-Domestic Rates payments and unpaid Congestion Charge debt, to press for payment of outstanding fines and debts. In 2019 Protocol Directorate wrote to diplomatic missions and international organisations with debts giving them the opportunity to either pay outstanding debts, or appeal against specific fines if they considered that they had been recorded incorrectly.
Parking fines: Parking fines incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations in London are brought to our attention by local councils, Transport for London and the City of London.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has held meetings with missions which have substantial outstanding parking fine debts. In addition, in May 2019 we wrote to the debtors concerned giving them the opportunity either to pay their outstanding fines or appeal against them if they considered that the fines had been recorded incorrectly.
The table below details those diplomatic missions and international organisations which have outstanding fines from 2018 totalling £1,000 or more, as of 2 September 2019.
Diplomatic Mission/International Organisation 2018 | Amount of Outstanding Fines (excluding London Congestion Charge) |
High Commission for the Federal Republic of Nigeria | £47,165 |
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan | £19,765 |
High Commission for the Republic of Zambia | £17,000 |
Embassy of the United Arab Emirates | £11,565 |
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia | £9,785 |
Embassy of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire | £6,405 |
Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman | £6,115 |
Embassy of Libya | £5,715 |
Malaysian High Commission | £4,900 |
Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan | £4,050 |
High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan | £4,000 |
Office of the High Commissioner for Ghana | £3,770 |
Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania | £3,731 |
Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan | £3,215 |
Embassy of the Republic of Iraq | £3,110 |
High Commission for Sierra Leone | £3,080 |
Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia | £2,750 |
Embassy of the People's Republic of China | £2,655 |
Embassy of the State of Kuwait | £2,600 |
People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria | £2,420 |
Embassy of the State of Qatar | £2,280 |
Embassy of the Republic of Angola | £2,210 |
Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan | £2,150 |
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany | £2,005 |
Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt | £1,890 |
High Commission for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka | £1,885 |
High Commission for the Republic of Cameroon | £1,780 |
Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia | £1,630 |
Embassy of the Republic of Liberia | £1,445 |
Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan | £1,430 |
Office of the High Commissioner for India | £1,365 |
Uzbekistan | £1,315 |
High Commission of Canada | £1,260 |
Embassy of the Russian Federation | £1,235 |
Embassy of France | £1,200 |
Embassy of the Republic of Poland | £1,190 |
Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan | £1,145 |
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran | £1,105 |
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain | £1,085 |
High Commission for the Republic of South Africa | £1,085 |
Embassy of the Republic of Yemen | £1,080 |
Embassy of Brazil | £1,040 |
Royal Thai Embassy | £1,040 |
High Commission for Kenya | £1,020 |
Embassy of the United States of America | £1,015 |
High Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania | £1,005 |
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. £73,589 of the outstanding debt is owed by the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic – which is not currently represented in the UK and we have therefore been unable to pursue this debt. We continue to urge all those with NNDR debt to pay their dues.
The Missions listed below owed over £10,000 in respect of NNDR:
Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan | £164,178 |
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran | £143,217 |
Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe | £124,175 |
Embassy of Libya | £94,519 |
Embassy of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria | £92,830 |
Embassy of the Republic of Iraq | £88,568 |
High Commission for the Republic of Zambia | £74,794 |
High Commission for Sierra Leone | £70,088 |
High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan | £64,492 |
Malaysian High Commission | £59,578 |
Uganda High Commission | £52,254 |
Embassy of the Russian Federation | £47,642 |
Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia | £41,658 |
High Commission for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka | £37,001 |
High Commission for the Federal Republic of Nigeria | £36,975 |
Embassy of the Republic of Liberia | £36,149 |
Embassy of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire | £32,525 |
Kingdom of Eswatini High Commission | £29,860 |
Embassy of the Republic of Korea | £26,896 |
Embassy of the State of Qatar | £25,028 |
Embassy of the United States of America | £23,694 |
Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar | £18,808 |
Embassy of Tunisia | £15,791 |
Embassy of Romania | £13,891 |
Embassy of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea | £13,300 |
Embassy of the Republic of Angola | £12,293 |
Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania | £12,143 |
Embassy of the Republic of Yemen | £11,964 |
The Gambia High Commission | £11,716 |
Embassy of the Republic of Haiti | £10,413 |
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 2018 as advised by Transport for London (TfL) was £116,868,825. The table below shows those diplomatic missions and international organisations with outstanding fines of £100,000 or more. FCO officials write to diplomatic missions and international organisations with large Congestion Charge debts annually, to encourage payment.
COUNTRY | NUMBER OF FINES | TOTAL OUTSTANDING |
Embassy of the United States of America | 102,255 | £12,446,845 |
Embassy of Japan | 69,690 | £8,510,650 |
High Commission for the Federal Republic of Nigeria | 58,102 | £7,063,965 |
Office of the High Commissioner for India | 47,654 | £6,009,905 |
Embassy of the Russian Federation | 48,535 | £5,721,865 |
Embassy of the People's Republic of China | 38,528 | £5,051,880 |
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany | 37,275 | £4,373,170 |
Embassy of the Republic of Poland | 35,020 | £4,345,760 |
Office of the High Commissioner for Ghana | 31,895 | £3,959,775 |
Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan | 26,717 | £3,358,585 |
The Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan | 28,155 | £3,353,420 |
High Commission for Kenya | 22,813 | £2,750,760 |
High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan | 18,197 | £2,305,230 |
Embassy of France | 18,783 | £2,273,440 |
High Commission for the United Republic of Tanzania | 17,038 | £2,025,070 |
Embassy of the Republic of Korea | 16,194 | £2,020,120 |
Embassy of Spain | 16,425 | £1,979,560 |
Embassy of the Republic of Cuba | 14,385 | £1,806,960 |
Embassy of Algeria | 14,206 | £1,727,030 |
High Commission for the Republic of South Africa | 13,931 | £1,651,440 |
Embassy of Romania | 13,579 | £1,627,200 |
High Commission for Sierra Leone | 13,148 | £1,575,455 |
Embassy of Ukraine | 12,310 | £1,464,070 |
Embassy of Greece | 12,261 | £1,456,930 |
High Commission for the Republic of Cyprus | 9,396 | £1,152,870 |
Embassy of Hungary | 9,508 | £1,150,360 |
High Commission for the Republic of Zambia | 8,333 | £1,011,010 |
Embassy of the Republic of Yemen | 7,879 | £949,660 |
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria | 7,139 | £840,390 |
High Commission for Botswana | 6,186 | £768,040 |
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey | 5,797 | £752,240 |
High Commission for the Republic of Malawi | 5,958 | £722,145 |
High Commission for the Republic of Cameroon | 6,117 | £721,420 |
High Commission of the Republic of Mozambique | 5,812 | £706,960 |
Embassy of the Republic of Belarus | 5,931 | £700,965 |
Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia | 5,631 | £668,150 |
Embassy of the Slovak Republic | 5,566 | £653,980 |
High Commission for the Republic of Namibia | 5,472 | £646,070 |
High Commission for the Republic of Zimbabwe | 5,561 | £643,945 |
Kingdom of Eswatini High Commission | 5,377 | £636,350 |
Embassy of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire | 5,219 | £635,660 |
High Commission for Malta | 4,857 | £596,975 |
Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania | 4,694 | £590,985 |
High Commission for Mauritius | 4,655 | £559,575 |
Embassy of Austria | 4,584 | £556,740 |
Embassy of the Republic of Liberia | 4,332 | £542,030 |
Embassy of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea | 4,550 | £537,690 |
Uganda High Commission | 4,243 | £519,580 |
High Commission for the Kingdom of Lesotho | 4,157 | £491,960 |
Embassy of Belgium | 3,812 | £463,220 |
Embassy of the Islamic State of Afghanistan | 3,512 | £427,840 |
Embassy of the Czech Republic | 3,648 | £426,270 |
Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam | 3,556 | £425,800 |
Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco | 3,228 | £423,790 |
High Commission for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka | 3,043 | £397,480 |
High Commission for Jamaica | 3,173 | £385,020 |
Royal Danish Embassy | 3,076 | £370,555 |
Embassy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2,932 | £369,440 |
Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan | 2,759 | £357,990 |
Embassy of Tunisia | 2,798 | £357,840 |
Embassy of the Republic of Iraq | 2,467 | £323,920 |
Embassy of Portugal | 2,357 | £292,280 |
Embassy of the Republic of Latvia | 2,332 | £285,870 |
High Commission for Antigua & Barbuda | 2,277 | £281,795 |
Embassy of Finland | 2,273 | £278,010 |
Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 2,297 | £267,640 |
Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia | 2,072 | £260,930 |
Embassy of Luxembourg | 2,031 | £245,155 |
Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt | 2,299 | £243,220 |
High Commission for Belize | 1,906 | £243,090 |
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia | 1,845 | £204,980 |
Embassy of the Republic of Guinea | 1,731 | £192,030 |
Embassy of Estonia | 1,461 | £181,140 |
Embassy of the State of Eritrea | 1,315 | £158,950 |
High Commission for Guyana | 1,262 | £154,010 |
Embassy of the Dominican Republic | 1,245 | £150,090 |
High Commission of the Republic of Seychelles | 1,127 | £145,455 |
Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan | 1,052 | £139,750 |
High Commission of the Republic of Maldives | 1,086 | £136,130 |
Embassy of El Salvador | 996 | £126,445 |
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania | 1,060 | £115,170 |
Embassy of the Republic of Albania | 839 | £108,800 |
Embassy of the Republic of Moldova | 876 | £106,630 |
Figures for previous years are available in the Secretary for State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs’ written statement to the House on 18 December 2018 (HCWS1204) which can be found at: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1204/
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This statement has also been made in the House of Lords