By Darren McCaffrey, Political Reporter
Britain is to take in some of the most vulnerable refugees from the Syrian civil war, the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced.
In a deal struck within Government, refuge will be provided for some of those most traumatised by the crisis, such as vulnerable women or children.
No figure is being put on the number of displaced people the UK will take, as the Government has ruled out quotas, but hundreds are expected to arrive over the coming year.
Mr Clegg said Britain would "reach out" to the most vulnerable refugees The United Nations sanctuary scheme aims to resettle up to 30,000 vulnerable Syrians in Western nations, but Mr Clegg said the UN High Commission for Refugees backs the Government's plans.
Home Secretary Theresa May formally confirmed the plans in a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday, ahead of a debate called by Labour, which wants Britain to join the UNHCR scheme.
Mrs May stressed that there would be no quota for the number of refugees to be admitted and that it would operate in parallel to the refugee relocation programme run by the UNHCR.
"We are determined to ensure that our assistance is targeted where it can have most impact on the refugees at greatest risk," she said.
"Some of the worst abuses in the Syrian conflict involve the use of sexual violence, including in regime detention centres
"We will be providing emergency sanctuary to people who are most at risk, including victims of torture and violence."
Mr Clegg said: "The coalition Government wants to play our part in helping to alleviate the immense suffering in Syria.
"The £600m we have provided makes us the second largest bilateral donor of humanitarian aid in the world.
The Syrian civil war has been raging for three years "But as the conflict continues to force millions of Syrians from their homes, we need to make sure we are doing everything we can.
"Sadly we cannot provide safety for everyone who needs it, but we can reach out to some of those who need it most."
The Prime Minister had resisted signing Britain up to the UN sanctuary programme, arguing it is not the solution to a crisis which has seen millions of Syrians flee their homes in a three-year civil war.
However, after coming under pressure from Labour and Liberal Democrats, he told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions last week he was ready to consider taking in refugees in cases of extreme hardship.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed the news but told Sky News: "In addition, ministers need to confirm that these will be additional places and will not be at the expense of help for other refugees.
Many Syrians are now living in makeshift camps in neighbouring countries "It would (also) be helpful for the Home Secretary to explain why ministers resisted for so long and to look urgently at removing refugees from the Government's net migration target.
"Immigration policy is very different from Britain's long tradition of providing sanctuary for those fleeing persecution and the two things should not be confused.
"The dreadful conflict in Syria has caused a humanitarian crisis. As well as helping all those we can in the region, it is right that we also do our bit to provide the most desperate refugees with a place of safety."
No target will be set for the numbers of refugees to be admitted, with the UK instead working with the UNHCR on a case-by-case basis to identify those most in need of assistance.
Refugees are expected to arrive on a gradual basis over the coming months.
:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
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