Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what direction they gave to police, if any, about the decision to ban tractors from entering Whitehall on 26 November.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental tool of civic expression and will not be curtailed by this Government. However, these rights are not absolute and must be balanced with the rights and freedoms of others.

The management of demonstrations are an operational matter for the police. It is not for Government to direct the police in how they should manage protest activity. The police must enforce the law without fear nor favour and assess each protest and the potential disruption it may cause on its own merits.

The Home Office does not hold confirmed data on the number of arrests made or vehicles seized.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) people were arrested, and (2) vehicles were seized, in the vicinity of Trafalgar Square on 26 November.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental tool of civic expression and will not be curtailed by this Government. However, these rights are not absolute and must be balanced with the rights and freedoms of others.

The management of demonstrations are an operational matter for the police. It is not for Government to direct the police in how they should manage protest activity. The police must enforce the law without fear nor favour and assess each protest and the potential disruption it may cause on its own merits.

The Home Office does not hold confirmed data on the number of arrests made or vehicles seized.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received a request from the government of the Republic of Ireland to provide security support for any events to take place in the Republic of Ireland during its tenure of the upcoming EU Presidency.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

His Majesty's Government has received no such request.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to secure and protect communications cables in the Atlantic Ocean which either (1) go directly from the UK, or (2) go from the UK through the Republic of Ireland.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government works closely with international partners and industry to ensure the security and resilience of trans-Atlantic subsea telecoms cables. At the UK-Ireland Summit in March 2025, both countries committed to collaborating on maritime security with an emphasis on safeguarding critical undersea infrastructure. For example, the Government is already working with Irish counterparts to improve our emergency response procedures. The Government also recently unveiled Atlantic Bastion, the Royal Navy's plan to secure the North Atlantic for the UK and NATO. It will exploit advances in autonomy and artificial intelligence to deter the growing underwater threat in light of a modernising Russian submarine force.