A bill attacking xenophobia and racism is being prepared and will be presented to Parliament in the coming days, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici said today.

Speaking in parliament during the budget debate, the minister said that an increasing number of illegal immigrants were accepting to return to their countries voluntarily once they realised they could never be refugees or receive international protection.

Malta, he said, was being firm and was not yielding to pressure to do away with its immigration policy.

The government, he said, disagreed with any notion of stopping Frontex patrols, but it wanted a stronger, more efficient patrol system.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said a meeting between Malta, Cyprus, Greece and Italy would be held next week to keep illegal immigration at the top of the EU’s agenda.

The minister thanked the United States for its assistance in the relocation of migrants, and said that a mechanism of repatriation was being established with a number of 'countries of departure'.

In his speech, the minister also said that publication of a White Paper on parole was imminent. The aim was to incentivise every prisoner to earn remission by attending rehabilitation courses. This would help ensure a decreasing incidence of repeat offenders.

The minister also announced that fines for hit-and-run incidents, drink driving and using mobile phones while driving were to be raised.