§ Mr. George Robertsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response has been received from the Association of Chief Police Officers to the Government's consultative paper on the law of picketing, circulated on 16 October 1978.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesIn its comments on that paper, the Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland told me that from its point of view the existing law provides sufficient powers for the police to deal with criminal offences arising out of industrial disputes. It was made clear to me that there would be strong opposition among its members to any suggestion that the police should be required to stop vehicles for the benefit of pickets, and that there would be similar opposition to any legal sanction being given to pickets to stop moving vehicles.