The UK will be taking 10 immigrants from Malta under the EU pilot project for the resettlement of refugees.

The UK's participation in the project will form "part of a comprehensive package of assistance to Malta" and will include programmes to address the problem of illegal immigrants flowing from the Mediterranean and into Europe.

Justice Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici said: "Malta has consistently and relentlessly argued that it should not be left to face the pressures of illegal immigration from Africa alone because this is a European problem."

Britain will be joining France, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia in assisting Malta with the problem.

France was the first country to announce it was participating in the scheme with a pledge to take 100 refugees. It had already accepted other refugees in previous years.

Alas, the response of most other EU member states has so far been lukewarm at best.