asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many Commonwealth citizens sought leave to remain in the United Kingdom under ancestry provisions in each of the past five years; and whether such applicants will be included in the new points-based system for immigration. [HL4773]

The number of Commonwealth nationals, excluding dependants, who applied for leave to remain in the UK under the ancestry provisions were as follows:

2003—2,265;

2004—2,279;

2005—1,699;

2006—4,147; and

2007—4,731.

These data have been sourced from local management information and should therefore be considered provisional and subject to change. It is not a national statistic.

The UK ancestry route will not form part of the points-based system.