The International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (Immunities and Privileges) Order 1979

PART III REPRESENTATIVES

14.—(1) Except in so far as in any particular case any privilege or immunity is waived by the Government of the Member State whom they represent, representatives of Member States of the Fund shall enjoy:—

(a) immunity from suit and legal process in respect of acts, including words written or spoken, done by them in the exercise of their functions, except in the case of a motor traffic offence committed by a representative or in the case of damage caused by a motor vehicle belonging to or driven by him;

(b) while exercising their functions and in the course of their journeys to and from the place of meeting, the like immunity from personal arrest or detention and from seizure of their personal baggage as is accorded to a diplomatic agent, provided that a representative shall not enjoy such immunity if there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that he is in the course of committing, attempting to commit, or has just committed an offence;

(c) while exercising their functions and during their journeys to and from the place of meeting, the like inviolability for all their official papers and documents as is accorded to a diplomatic agent.

(2) Part IV of Schedule 1 to the Act shall not operate so as to confer any privilege or immunity on the official staff of representatives, other than alternate representatives and advisers.

(3) Neither the provisions of the preceding paragraphs of this Article, nor those of Part IV of Schedule 1 to the Act, shall operate so as to confer any privilege or immunity on any persons as the representatives or alternate representatives, or their advisers, of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom or on any person who is a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies.

(4) Part IV of Schedule 1 to the Act shall not operate so as to confer any privilege or immunity on families of representatives, alternate representatives or advisers.