asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many extra police were drafted to crowd control duties in and around the Palace of Westminster on 14th January; what was the estimated size of the TUC demonstration over which the police were expected to keep order; how many of the police were taken off other duties; what was the estimated cost of the operation; and if he will seek to obtain a reimbursement of the cost to public funds from the TUC or from its members who participated.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells us that 1,506 police officers were engaged on these duties on 14th January; about 8,000 demonstrators were present; all the police officers would have been engaged on other police duties; the additional cost to the Metropolitan Police was about £1,600.As regards the last part of the Question, the preservation of law and order in public places is a duty of the police and the cost is a proper charge on public funds and not on the organisers of particular events.