The G7 Presidency (Immunities and Privileges) Order 2021

Statutory Instruments

2021 No. 521

International Immunities And Privileges, England And Wales

The G7 Presidency (Immunities and Privileges) Order 2021

Made

28th April 2021

Laid before Parliament

29th April 2021

Coming into force

30th April 2021

At the Court at Windsor Castle, the 28th day of April 2021

Present,

The Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council

Whereas the G7 Leaders’ Summit and G7 ministerial meetings in accordance with the United Kingdom’s G7 Presidency are due to take place in the United Kingdom commencing on 3rd May 2021 and are to be attended by representatives of the United Kingdom and of other sovereign Powers.

Her Majesty and in exercise of the powers conferred on Her by section 6 of the International Organisations Act 1968(1) is pleased, by and with the advice of Her Privy Council, to order as follows:

Citation, commencement and extent

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the G7 Presidency (Immunities and Privileges) Order 2021 and comes into force on 30th April 2021.

(2) This Order extends to England and Wales.

Interpretation

2.  In this Order—

“G7 Summit” means the meeting due to take place as part of the United Kingdom’s G7 Presidency on 11th to 13th June 2021 in England.

Immunities conferred on specified persons

3.—(1) For the purposes of this Order, a person is specified as a representative of a sovereign Power (other than the United Kingdom) at the G7 Summit or the G7 ministerial meetings or both if that person is notified to the Secretary of State by the sovereign Power concerned as having ministerial or other high official rank and that person is accepted as such by the Secretary of State.

(2) A person specified in paragraph (1) shall enjoy, while exercising their functions as representatives and during their journeys to and from the place of the G7 Summit or the G7 ministerial meetings, or as the case may be both, the like immunity from suit and legal process, including from arrest or detention, and the like inviolability of personal baggage as are accorded to the head of a diplomatic mission under the Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964(2).

(3) Paragraph (2)—

(a) does not apply in so far as any immunity or privilege is waived by the Government of a sovereign Power in respect of a representative,

(b) does not apply in relation to a civil action brought against a representative by a third party for damages resulting from an accident caused by a motor vehicle belonging to, or operated by or on behalf of, the representative,

(c) does not apply in relation to a road traffic offence, and

(d) is without prejudice to any immunity or privilege to which a representative may otherwise be entitled.

(4) Neither paragraph (2) above nor section 6(3) of the International Organisations Act 1968 shall operate so as to confer any immunity or privilege on any person who is—

(a) a representative of the United Kingdom or as a member of the official staff of such a representative,

(b) a British citizen, a British overseas territories citizen, a British Overseas citizen, a British National (Overseas), a British subject under the British Nationality Act 1981(3) or a British protected person under the meaning of that Act, or

(c) permanently resident in the United Kingdom.

Richard Tilbrook

Clerk of the Privy Council

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order confers immunities and privileges upon the representatives of the sovereign Powers (other than the United Kingdom) for the purposes of the G7 Summit and G7 ministerial meetings due to take place in accordance with the United Kingdom’s G7 Presidency, which commenced on 1st January 2021 and shall cease on 31st December 2021. The ministerial meetings linked to the G7 Presidency shall commence in the United Kingdom on 3rd May 2021.

A full regulatory impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.

(1)

1968 c.48, section 6 was amended by the International Organisations Act 1981 (c.9), section 1(3).

(2)

1964 c.81.

(3)

1981 c.61.