Although foreign banks must also hold big slugs of bonds, they had more lenient priority-lending rules until now.

ECONOMIST: Foreign banks in India

Last year, however, the British government agreed with 15 other commonwealth countries that males should no longer be given priority and changed the rules of succession so that the first-born child of either gender could one day take the throne.

FORBES: Kate Middleton Is Pregnant: Will She Give Birth To The Next Queen Of England?

They called on the MoD to make the development of rules of engagement for cyber-operations an urgent priority.

BBC: UK 'complacent' over military cyber-attack risk, MPs warn

Other proposals under consideration include giving priority to local people on the housing list and having tighter rules on people not paying their rent.

BBC: Homeless people could drop down housing list in Thanet

The military has issued stricter spending rules to curb waste and extravagance and calls for priority spending on preparations for battle, high-tech weaponry and training, according to Xinhua.

BBC: China media: No support for Abe

The rules, published for consultation, also allow all schools to give priority to teachers' children.

BBC: Academies could give priority on places to poorest

Now the United Network for Organ Sharing is considering changing the rules for kidneys to be more like hearts, matching younger donors with younger recipients and also giving priority to the healthier patients.

FORBES: The Troubling Shortage Of Organ Donors In The U.S.