THE Prime Minister was urged last night to appoint more women to the House of Lords.

Mainly as a result of the succession rules for hereditary peers, there are currently only 85 in a 1200-strong House.

Labour's Baroness Mallalieu, commenting on the increased number of women MPs, told the Lords as she backed a vote of thanks for the Queen's Speech: ''I hope all peers will agree with me that there should be many more women in this House too.''

She commended ''fine examples'' of peeresses who ''stood up for themselves and others in a male-dominated House''.