An influential committee of MPs today urged the government not to "miss the opportunity" to deliver a more democratic House of Lords.

The call came from the Commons public administration select committee, which published the government's response to an earlier report on Lords reform on Tuesday.

The committee accepted the government's response was only an interim one. "This is disappointing, though understandable," said the MPs, as there had been over 1000 submissions to the government's consultation on the reform of the House of Lords.

"We are glad that the government can immediately accept some of our conclusions and recommendations, especially where it agrees with us on the importance of a reformed chamber in holding the executive to account," the committee said.

But the all-party committee warned that MPs were not prepared to back down on demands that the government must increase the number of elected members to a reformed upper house.

"Nothing that has happened since we published our report makes us change our view that there must be, as we said then, 'an early and credible reform of the second chamber'. For us, that means a legitimate chamber with a much greater role for election than that envisaged by the government."

And the committee warned that ignoring demands for more radical proposals would go against the wishes of most MPs.

"We are also confident that this cross-party agreement represents the views of the vast majority in the House of Commons, and that there is widespread public support for the kind of chamber we are proposing."

The committee said that given the consensus on reform, it saw "no reason for the government to delay much longer".

"The government has an impressive record of constitutional reform to its credit. However, not to continue the reform of the second chamber, in the way that we have shown to be possible, would be a missed opportunity of historic proportions."

Number 10 described the committees submission as a "significant contribution" and would reply when the government publishes its full response to the consultation before the summer recess.

Government plans

The government set out for the committee its interim views on the next steps for Lords reform. The move followed the committee's call in February for a Lords composed of 60 per cent elected members and 40 per cent appointed.

Ministers are reported to be split on the issue, with the lord chancellor, Lord Irvine, wanting around 120 elected peers, while Commons leader Robin Cook is thought to back more radical plans.

The government said it agreed with the committee on several aspects of reform, including that the Lords should be a strong and effective second chamber, that it should compliment the role of the Commons, and that the composition of the second chamber should be driven by its function.

Agreement on these general principles also meant there was considerable agreement on the proper role, functions and powers of the second chamber, said the government.

"There is, however, a considerable difference between the composition recommended by the government to give effect to these principles and that recommended by the committee," said the government.

And the government also said it was not yet in a position to say whether membership of the Lords would be limited to 350, which the committee described as being at "very much the upper limit of the acceptable range".

But the government does back the call for the remaining 92 hereditary peers in the Lords to be axed, and it agrees that membership of the upper chamber should now be separated from the honours system.