THE Prime Minister's Office maintains that the Honours List is not geographically biased and reflects outstanding achievements and service right across the nation as a whole.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said, after the 2003 Honours List was published, that it was about rewarding those who have really changed things, or who had given outstanding service to others in difficult situations, no matter where they live in the UK.

The geographic diversity was matched by the diversity of the professions and backgrounds of the people who won them.

Honours were given to people from the worlds of education, health and the criminal justice system to school cleaners, a dinner lady and a milkman. A headteacher in Liverpool, a police chief in Nottingham and a professor in Sheffield were all nominated and bestowed with gongs.

Forty-two per cent of the 424 people in the 2003 honours list had been nominated or supported by members of the public.

This, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said, reflected the continuing value that the public placed on the honours system.

So in almost half the awards it is up to the public to decide who they want to nominate.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said it was a less 'glitzy' list than previous years, reflecting a shift in the Honours List to one which represents those who really make a difference in our society, no matter where they are from.

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