The Government has not centrally collated any information relating to Operation Geraldton on the number of arrests or subsequent charges or convictions of individuals made at Barton Moss between November 2013 and April 2014.

Prevent is about safeguarding vulnerable people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Political interest and protest, including in anti-fracking groups operating within the law, are entirely legitimate activities and are not of interest to Prevent. The Home Office and Police continually work together to improve the utility of Counter Terrorism Local Profiles (CTLPs).

Prevent is about safeguarding vulnerable people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. This cannot be done by Government alone, and training in Prevent plays a vital part in empowering people to safeguard those who need our help. Prevent training is kept under continued review. Those who receive training are encouraged to provide feedback on all aspects of it.

The Home Secretary allocates specific ring-fenced funding for Counter Terrorism Policing to ensure that police have the capabilities to deal with the terrorist threats that we face. This includes allocations at a regional level and to individual forces for specified activities, including for Counter-Terrorism Units. These allocations – and the details of the underpinning grant agreements – are sensitive and not in the public domain.

The Home Office oversees performance and delivery by CT policing, including monitoring and agreeing expenditure. In doing so, we work closely with the national lead for counter-terrorism policing and are supported by the National Counter-Terrorism Policing HQ. This oversight includes ensuring CT policing delivers efficiencies and value for money as part of the Spending Review settlement. Individual police forces are also subject to independent audit agreements.

The Home Office does not keep information on meetings held between the National Counter Terrorism Police Operations Centre and representatives of the coal and gas industry to discuss fracking protests.

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) guidance on policing linked to onshore oil and gas draws on the experience and lessons learned by forces involved in previous policing operations involving anti-fracking protests.

This guidance is not compulsory and police forces may deviate from recommendations provided there is a clear reason to do so. The guidance is regularly reviewed by the National Police Lead responsible for Shale Oil and Gas Exploration on behalf of the NPCC.

Prevent is about safeguarding vulnerable people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Prevent training is kept under continued review, and feedback is provided to ensure training materials address the risk of terrorism.

Last Thursday, I met Jenny Hockey, a 70-year-old retired sociology lecturer who was, extraordinarily, arrested on 17 November as part of a council-directed dawn raid to chop down six trees on her street, with the assistance of 12 officers from South Yorkshire police against—it now turns out—the views of the local police and crime

commissioner. What assurances can the Home Secretary give the House that in future councils do not drag police officers into such absurd, draconian initiatives?

The right hon. Gentleman is right to raise this issue. It is a local matter, of course, but it sounds like that important balance we tread between peaceful protest and responding to the law might have been handled in a rather tricky way in his constituency. I would always urge that peaceful protest is allowed, but I wonder sometimes whether police forces strike the right balance, as in the example he has given.

The Government does not hold information on the monitoring by police Counter-Terrorism Units of anti-fracking activity, or the number of arrests made by each Unit associated with any such activity.

The Government has not given specific guidance to the police on the use of undercover officers in anti-fracking groups. This is an operational matter. However, the police use of undercover officers and other covert sources is regulated by Part 2 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and subject to guidance in the Covert Human Intelligence Sources Code of Practice published under section 71 of RIPA.

Prevent training does not include any reference to participation in anti-fracking groups.

The Government has not issued guidance to the police regarding exchanges of information between the police and the coal and gas industry. The National Police Chiefs Council has issued guidance to forces on policing linked to onshore oil and gas operations.

The Government does not hold information on the monitoring by police Counter-Terrorism Units of anti-fracking activity, or the number of arrests made by each Unit associated with any such activity.

The Government has not given specific guidance to the police on the use of undercover officers in anti-fracking groups. This is an operational matter. However, the police use of undercover officers and other covert sources is regulated by Part 2 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and subject to guidance in the Covert Human Intelligence Sources Code of Practice published under section 71 of RIPA.

Prevent training does not include any reference to participation in anti-fracking groups.

The Government has not issued guidance to the police regarding exchanges of information between the police and the coal and gas industry. The National Police Chiefs Council has issued guidance to forces on policing linked to onshore oil and gas operations.

The Government does not hold information on the monitoring by police Counter-Terrorism Units of anti-fracking activity, or the number of arrests made by each Unit associated with any such activity.

The Government has not given specific guidance to the police on the use of undercover officers in anti-fracking groups. This is an operational matter. However, the police use of undercover officers and other covert sources is regulated by Part 2 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and subject to guidance in the Covert Human Intelligence Sources Code of Practice published under section 71 of RIPA.

Prevent training does not include any reference to participation in anti-fracking groups.

The Government has not issued guidance to the police regarding exchanges of information between the police and the coal and gas industry. The National Police Chiefs Council has issued guidance to forces on policing linked to onshore oil and gas operations.

The Home Office is aware of a number of recent protests outside some abortion clinics which we take extremely seriously. This country has a proud history of allowing free speech but the right to peaceful protest does not extend to harassment or threatening behaviour. The law currently provides protection against such acts.

The police have a range of powers to deal with protests outside clinics. Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, makes it an offence to display threatening, or abusive words or images that, within the sight of someone, is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 allows the police to place conditions on the location, duration or numbers attending a public assembly. This can be applied where the police believe that the assembly may result in serious public disorder, serious damage to property, serious disruption to the life of the community, or that the purpose by the assembly organisers is to intimidate others to compel them not to do an act that they have a right to do.

The police have dispersal powers (in public places) under sections 34 and 35 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, to remove or reduce the likelihood of members of the public being harassed, alarmed or distressed, or to prevent local crime or disorder.

The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 includes criminal offences that protect individuals, who are conducting lawful activities, from harassment by protestors.

The policing of protests and the use of police powers are an operational matter for the police.

Kingfisher Unit at Yarl’s Wood is managed by Serco, the service provider, in accordance with Rules 40 (removal from association) and 42 (temporary confinement) of the Detention Centre Rules 2001. Detainees may only be separated from others for reasons of safety, either their own or for others, for security reasons or when an individual is being refractory or violent. There is no provision in the Rules for separation to be used as punishment.

Provisional management information from Serco shows that no detainees were re-located to Kingfisher Unit on either 10 or 11 September. There is no record of any complaints having been made by detainees alleging that they have been threatened with placement on Kingfisher Unit in connection with the demonstration on 10 September.

Detainee Custody Officers must not threaten detainees in order to manage their behaviour but may advise detainees that they may be separated if their behaviour is judged to risk compromising the safety and security of the centre, themselves or others.