A month ago, the British government announced a plan to keep terrorist suspects indefinitely under house arrest (1)_____ the home secretary"s say-so, It has been attacked from all sides ever since. This week the government backtracked. Under the Prevention of Terrorism bill, (2)_____ to Parliament this week, house arrest would (3)_____ a potential (4)_____ in the government"s ever-expanding anti-terrorist arsenal, but the government would first have to (5)_____ of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights guaranteeing a right to liberty. Parliament would have to vote on that. The government could do this (6)_____ the terrorist threat to Britain, already described by the government as " (7)_____", got even worse. Even then, the powers would remain (8)_____ by political and judicial safeguards. Before the home secretary could make a house-arrest order, he would have to be satisfied on the (9)_____ of probabilities—no longer on the basis of "reasonable suspicion—that the suspect has been "involved in a terrorism-related activity". He would also have to be (10)_____ that such an order was "strictly required". The period of house-arrest will be limited to a maximum of six months, extendable through a new house-arrest order. Within seven days of its being imposed, the High Court would have to confirm that the home secretary had " (11)_____ grounds" for making such an order. Even if it were so satisfied, the case would go on to a full court (12)_____. The bill also provides for a whole range of lesser restrictions including tagging, curfews, a ban on association with specified people, prohibitions on using phones, restrictions on travel, and so on. (13)_____ to meet the threat (14)_____ by each suspect and limited to a renewable period of 12 months, these would not be subject to the same judicial scrutiny as house arrest. Nor would they require (15)_____ from the European convention. But the new orders, including house arrest, would be used only where a suspected terrorist could not be prosecuted (16)_____ because the evidence against him was not admissible in court, or because it might (17)_____ intelligence sources or (18)_____ techniques. Charles Clarke insists that he would prefer to prosecute. (19)_____ the home secretary is considering further anti-terrorist legislation, including making it (20)_____ to be involved in the preparation or commission of terrorist acts.