To ask the Lord President of the Council how many Opposition Members have been appointed to the Privy Council in the last 10 years; and what proportion this is of total new Privy Councillors.

In the past 10 years three leaders of Opposition parties—the right hon. Members for Lagan Valley (Mr. Molyneaux) and for Islwyn (Mr. Kinnock) in 1983 and the right hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Ashdown) in 1989—have been made members of the Privy Council. This represents 3·5 per cent. of the number of hon. Members of the House so appointed during that period and 2 per cent. of the total number of new Privy Councillors.

I expect that the Lord President will not agree that this feudal, undemocratic body of Privy Councillors should be abolished. Does not the proportion to which he referred show that it is even less democratic and less fair than the House of Lords, which is saying something? Does he agree that we will need a Labour Government if we are to redress the balance?

If the hon. Gentleman looks at the party composition of Privy Councillors in the House of Commons and at those appointed in recent years, he will see that over the years, not just recently, there has been, inevitably, a heavy preponderance of appointments from the party in government. The figures for the past 10 or 11 years reflect the fact that, fortunately for this country, we have had a Conservative Government. I hope that that will continue.