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18 January 2011
Last updated at 12:09 ET
Something went "very wrong" in the case of an undercover Pc who infiltrated environmental protesters, policing minister Nick Herbert has told MPs.
He described the case of Mark Kennedy, who posed for years as activist Mark "Flash" Stone, as a "failing".
The trial of six men accused of conspiring to shut down a power station in Nottinghamshire collapsed after he said he would testify for the defence.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating.
It will examine whether Nottinghamshire Police disclosed all relevant material to prosecutors.
Community orders Mr Herbert told the home affairs select committee in a session on police financing: "It's clear to us all that something operationally has gone very wrong and that is now the subject of an IPCC investigation."
He said everybody was concerned by the case and it was right that the IPCC should investigate.
"We are as keen as anybody that it [the investigation] should not drag on. Equally I think it's very important that it is thorough, not least because of any wider implications that may be drawn from this particular failing," he said.
Mr Herbert said the government did not interfere in operational decisions about surveillance.
Former officer Mark Kennedy has said his "world has been destroyed" after his covert work was exposed.
He claimed he was being made a scapegoat for the failure of the trial when, in fact, "a lot of mistakes" were made in the operation's handling.
Meanwhile, two activists who planned to shut down Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station have been served with community orders.
Sarah Shoraka and Ben Stewart were among 20 people convicted in December of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass. The judge ordered Shoraka to complete 90 hours of unpaid work, and Stewart to complete 80 hours.
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He described the case of Mark Kennedy, who posed for years as activist Mark "Flash" Stone, as a "failing".
The trial of six men accused of conspiring to shut down a power station in Nottinghamshire collapsed after he said he would testify for the defence.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating.
It will examine whether Nottinghamshire Police disclosed all relevant material to prosecutors.
Community orders Mr Herbert told the home affairs select committee in a session on police financing: "It's clear to us all that something operationally has gone very wrong and that is now the subject of an IPCC investigation."
He said everybody was concerned by the case and it was right that the IPCC should investigate.
"We are as keen as anybody that it [the investigation] should not drag on. Equally I think it's very important that it is thorough, not least because of any wider implications that may be drawn from this particular failing," he said.
Mr Herbert said the government did not interfere in operational decisions about surveillance.
Former officer Mark Kennedy has said his "world has been destroyed" after his covert work was exposed.
He claimed he was being made a scapegoat for the failure of the trial when, in fact, "a lot of mistakes" were made in the operation's handling.
Meanwhile, two activists who planned to shut down Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station have been served with community orders.
Sarah Shoraka and Ben Stewart were among 20 people convicted in December of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass. The judge ordered Shoraka to complete 90 hours of unpaid work, and Stewart to complete 80 hours.
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