Skeptic
Validated Poster
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 485
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 Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 2:29 pm Post subject: Brown expands terror checks on skilled migrants |
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2118328,00.html
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Brown expands terror checks on skilled migrants
Matthew Tempest, political correspondent
Wednesday July 4, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Security checks on skilled migrants such as NHS workers will be stepped up in the wake of the London and Glasgow car bomb plots, Gordon Brown announced today.
Eight people who work for, or have links with, the health service are currently being questioned in connection with last week's attacks.
In his first session of prime minister's questions, Mr Brown also pledged that the government would expand its worldwide "watchlist" of potential terrorists.
Although there is little detail yet on what greater background checks will entail, the new security minister, Lord West, is to carry out an immediate review of NHS recruitment in the wake of the attacks, Mr Brown announced.
Yesterday the Department of Health insisted that vetting was purely the business of the employer - namely the hospital or trust offering contracts to oversees doctors. However, that process focuses predominantly on checking qualifications, identity and any criminal convictions.
Mr Brown told MPs: "Let me tell you what we will do. We will expand the watchlist ... We will expand the background checks that are being done where there are highly skilled migrant workers coming into this country. When people sponsor them, we will ask them to give us their background checks.
"Thirdly, as a result of what has happened in the NHS, I've asked Lord West, the new terrorism minister, to conduct an immediate review as to what arrangements we must make in relation to recruitment to the NHS because of what we know has happened over the last few days.
"Finally, we will want to sign new agreements with other countries round the world so we act together to deal with the potential terrorist threat and we are able to deport people to countries, where they should be, rather than in this country.
Although the new PM called for "unity" and a cross-party consensus on terror, the Conservative leader, David Cameron, pushed for both a new national border police and the use of telephone taps in terrorist trials.
Mr Brown agreed to look into the issue of a border police force and pointed out that a privy council review into the feasibility of using telephone intercept evidence had already been commissioned. However, he criticised the Tories for opposing ID cards - as do the Liberal Democrats.
"It is vitally important the message is sent out to the rest of the world that we will stand strong, steadfast and united in the face of terror," he said.
Mr Brown was also put on the spot by Tory calls for the banning of the radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir.
When the new prime minister pointed out he had only been in the job "five days", Mr Cameron pointed out the Home Office had commissioned an inquiry into the group two years ago.
It was left to the former home secretary, John Reid, to spare Mr Brown's blushes from the backbenches by revealing that the inquiry had not come up with sufficient evidence.
The Hizb ut-Tahrir organisation later put out a statement, saying: "The former home secretary, John Reid, today confirmed in parliament ... there has been no evidence whatsoever to link Hizb ut-Tahrir to terrorism or violence.
It continued: "We completely reject David Cameron's playing of politics with security and his baseless accusation that our organisation calls for the killing of Jews.
"His accusations are not surprising given that Hizb ut-Tahrir has been an ardent critic of the Zionist state, while Cameron has described himself as a Zionist. Perhaps Mr Cameron has not, this time, jumped onto a bandwagon, but onto a sinking ship." |
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mark_e
Moderate Poster
Joined: 29 Oct 2006
Posts: 155
Location: Ipswich
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 3:25 pm Post subject: |
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Perhaps if they were microchipped and given an ID card on the way in all this would be solved 
Problem reaction solution again isn't it
Pictures on Anglia news yesterday of police with SMG's at Ipswich Station and we're told that the chief constables of Norfol, Suffolk and Essex have invoked emergency stop and search procedures. Why? I mean to be honest apart from our town/city centres we must be one of the least ethnically diverse regions of the country (particularly Norfolk  )
Then they told us how essex police are now going to start hiding speed cameras again.
Anyone know a good country to emigrate to, this one is really beginning to suck! |
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