asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he keeps a list of possible nominees for public bodies and committees to which he is entitled to nominate; how many names are now before him; and how many of them are women.

Most of these appointments are in specialist fields. It is always useful to hear of people with the right qualifications, but the various lists have no formal status, except when a particular job is to be filled. No total can, therefore, be given.