asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the occasions on which the Metropolitan police armoured cars have been used in the past year.

No, it would not be in the interest of security to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions over the past 12 months the Metropolitan police air support unit has used Hele-Tele surveillance cameras; what were the occasions and who authorised their use; and on what occasion Hele-Tele was first used operationally by the air support unit.

We understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that over the past 12 months the Hele-Tele surveillance camera was used by his air support unit on about 30 occasions for the following purposes:

(i) to assist security operations at such events as state visits, Trooping the Colour and the moving of high-risk prisoners from prison to court;

(ii) to assist with traffic control at major sporting events such as the Cup Final;

(iii) to assist with the command and control of police officers deployed at demonstrations and marches; and

(iv) to assist in the preparation of training exercises.

The Commissioner assures us that on each occasion the use of the Hele-Tele was fully within the guidelines for the use of equipment in police surveillance operations, a copy of which is in the Library. Authority was given in each case by the commander in charge of the operation.Hele-Tele was first use at the Notting Hill Gate carnival in 1977.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Metropolitan police first acquired stocks of CS gas.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the Metropolitan police first acquired CS in the early 1960s, for criminal siege purposes.