asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his latest plans to reduce the strength of the Special Branch; what numbers have had to be withdrawn from what airports and seaports in the last two years; and what current manpower shortage there is.

There are no such plans. Each police force in England and Wales has its own special branch, and the deployment of officers within each force is an operational matter for the chief officer of police concerned.Some work at certain ports outside London is being transferred from the Metropolitan Police Special Branch to the special branch of the force in whose area the port lies. I gave information about the number of officers employed on special branch work in an Adjournment debate on 24th May 1978—[