§ 96. Mr. Piratinasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions during 1948 members of the Metropolitan Police Force were employed in protecting meetings held by the British Union and other Fascist organisations in the metropolitan area; and what was the total number of police used for this purpose on all occasions during the year.
§ Mr. EdeI am informed that police officers were on police duty of preserving order on 889 occasions during 1948 at meetings of organisations at which breaches of the peace or other offences might be expected to occur on the part of the promoters or their opponents. This by no means accounts for all the occasions on which the police are required in pursuance of their various duties to attend public meetings. The information asked for in the second part of the Question could not be obtained without a disproportionate expenditure of labour.