The Wakeham Commission report, A House for the Future (Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords 2000), recommended a House of 550 members, with a minority of members elected from the different parts of the UK. It responded to the Royal Commission report with a White Paper, The House of Lords: Completing the Reform (HM Government 2001), recommending that 20 per cent of the members be elected. The commission recognised the importance of the functions of the second chamber and also said that it was an error to suppose that the chamber's authority could stem only from democratic election. The government, in its response, The House of Lords: Completing the Reform, essentially endorsed the recommendations and rationale of the Royal Commission. The proposal for reform of the House is thus to achieve a balance, having some members elected while preserving the attributes of the existing House.