Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 8 November (HL2955), what criteria they used to decide which privy councillors would be given ex officio status and were therefore invited to attend the Accession Council on the 10 September.

The criteria for ex-officio eligibility to attend the Accession Council was based primarily on whether Privy Counsellors were serving in a senior parliamentary, judicial or Church post at the time of Demise. This was the most practical way to reflect the fact that the role of the Privy Council is to advise on the exercise of prerogative powers and certain functions assigned to The King and the Council by Act of Parliament.

There are over 720 Privy Counsellors but only those currently serving in senior parliamentary, judicial and Church roles play an active role in Privy Council business. The majority of Privy Counsellors have no active involvement in Privy Council business; some Counsellors have not been actively involved in Privy Council business for decades.

Additional criteria used to determine ex-officio eligibility included:

1. Privy Counsellors who were senior, full-time Members of the Royal Household at the time of Demise.

2. Former office holders who had a close working relationship with the Sovereign (former Prime Ministers, Archbishops and Lord Presidents).

3. Former opposition leaders (representing Privy Counsellors from all political parties who no longer have an active role in Privy Council business).