With permission, Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the 12 arrests, which took place in the north-west of England on 8th April under the Terrorism Act 2000. On Wednesday 8th April, the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit, arrested 12 men under the Terrorism Act. Of those 12 individuals, 11 remain in custody and have had their detention extended to 22 April. 10 of the individuals are Pakistani nationals and one is a British citizen.
The arrests were pre-planned as the result of an ongoing joint police and Security Service investigation. The priority at all times has been to act to maintain public safety.
I would also like to express my thanks to members of the public in the communities most immediately affected by these arrests, including those at education institutions, for their patience and measured response to events. The police, with support from local authorities and elected representatives, are working closely with local communities to discuss issues or concerns linked to the operation.
Last month the Government published our revised strategy to counter the threat to this country and to our interests overseas from international terrorism. A key theme in that strategy, CONTEST, is the need to coordinate our work with our international partners. The Prime Minister has already made very clear that we need to continue to enhance cooperation on counter-terrorism with Pakistan. He has spoken to President Zardari and they have agreed that our two countries must continue to work together as closely as possible to counter this threat.
We are working with the Government of Pakistan to bolster their efforts to build civic society, tackle violent extremism, and help build resilience in Pakistani society against radicalisation - just as we seek to do here in the UK. That work includes support for the modernisation of Pakistan's security apparatus, support for governance and the rule of law, and work to undermine extremist ideology.
Our counter terrorism programme with Pakistan is worth approximately £10 million a year and is our largest such programme. In addition, to help the Government of Pakistan reduce poverty, the UK has doubled its aid programme to £480 million during 2008-2011.
I do not wish to compromise an ongoing investigation by discussing the specifics of this case. However, there has been some speculation that the investigation raises wider questions about the criteria for obtaining student visas.
We are currently delivering the biggest reform of border security and the immigration system for a generation. Last year, we completed the roll-out of biometric visas across the world. Fingerprints are checked against counter-terrorism and crime databases, as well as UK Border Agency records.
In posts that we have classified as high risk, such as Pakistan, we have a risk management network, that helps ensure that the right visa decisions are made, for example by working with local authorities to ensure that the qualifications of prospective students are independently verified. The impact of those changes is demonstrated in the increased refusal rate for visa applications from Pakistan nationals.
Under tier 4 of the Points Based System, educational institutions that wish to bring in international students for more than six months must now be accredited by an independent body and licensed by the UK Border Agency. Any student who does not bring themselves within the new PBS regime or leave the country when their leave expires will be subject to appropriate enforcement action.
Where there is evidence of criminal activity, we will prosecute. Where colleges have decided that the requirements of our new, tougher, regime are too onerous, we will not allow them to bring in international students.
The threat level to the United Kingdom from international terrorism is still assessed as SEVERE. A terrorist attack is considered highly likely, so I would like to repeat my thanks to the police and the security agencies for their work in relation to this investigation and for everything that they do to protect this country and the people who live in it from the threat of terrorist attacks.
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