asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have an estimate of how many United Kingdom citizens currently reside in the Republic of Ireland. [HL1988]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the current domestic market capitalisation of manufacturing companies in the United Kingdom; and what was the comparable figure in 1997; and [HL2013]What is the current domestic market capitalisation of (a) information technology hardware and (b) software and computer services in the United Kingdom; and what was the comparable figure in 1997. [HL2014]

The information on which to base an Answer is not available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the increase in the number of full-time equivalent jobs since 1997; how many of these are wholly or partly financed from national and local taxation and how many are in the private sector. [HL2044]

The increase in the total number of employee jobs in the economy since 1997 is 1,541,000. The increase in the total number of full-time employed is 846,000 and the increase in the total number of part-time employed is 695,000.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have evidence that goods made in labour camps in China are being imported to the United Kingdom; and, if so, what action they are taking to prevent such imports. [HL1926]

We have no such evidence.Under the Foreign Prison Made Goods Act 1897, as amended, the import into the UK of goods made in any foreign prison or like establishment is prohibited.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the United Nations has considered requests for a referendum to ascertain the will of the people of Tibet as regards self-determination; if so, when; and with what result. [HL1928]

The UN has adopted three resolutions on Tibet. in 1959, 1961 and 1965. None of them called specifically for a referendum.More recently, in 1991, a UN sub-commission adopted a resolution expressing concern at "continuing reports of violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms which threaten the distinct cultural, religious and national identity of the Tibetan people".We are not aware of any outstanding request to the UN for a referendum on Tibet.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider it realistic for the European Convention to report to a European Union Summit in June 2003 and for the Intergovernmental Conference to reach decisions on the European constitution by the end of December 2003, in view of the complexity of the issues involved and the need to consult the accession states; and, if not, what timetable they would propose. [HL1998]

Following an exchange of views on progress of the discussions, the Copenhagen European Council concluded that the convention will present the result of its work in time for the European Council in June 2003. The timing of the next Intergovernmental Conference has not yet been confirmed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they believe that the European Convention is giving sufficient weight to the need for subsidiarity and devolved decision-making, especially in an enlarged Union. [HL1999]

There is widespread recognition in the convention of the importance of subsidiarity. Many endorse an early warning mechanism for national parliamentarians to monitor and enforce this principle more effectively.Convention discussions broadly welcomed the ideas in the UK's paper to the convention on

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the European Commission has and will continue to have an important role in protecting the

The European Commission is independent of any particular member state or group of member states. As Guardian of the Treaties, it is responsible for safeguarding the interests of the Union as a whole. Concerning the protection of minorities, the Commission will continue to play an important role through its capacity to propose act ion under Article 13 TEC to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:After accession, how many people from each of the applicant nations will be employed by the European Union; and what will be their average salary. [HL2026]

I cannot predict how many people from each of the applicant countries will be employed by the EU after their accession. The EU does not have quotas for employing staff of different nationalities. It employs staff solely on the basis of merit and suitability.The following is a breakdown of the number of staff at each grade (top figure in cell) and their relative monthly salaries (bottom figure) within the Commission. Salaries are given in euros. Echelons are the individual pay steps within each grade.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will seek better access to the European Union for the products of the Republic of Moldova, in view of its size and economic difficulties. [HL2034]

Trade relations between the EU and Moldova are covered by a partnership and co-operation agreement under which Moldova's exports to the EC receive most favoured nation (MFN) treatment. In addition, as a developing country, Moldova benefits from the EC's generalised system of preferences (GSP) under which a large proportion of Moldovan exports to the EC enjoy a preferential tariff rate below that of the MFN rate. Since 2000, Moldova has also received additional reductions of customs duties under GSP as an ILO application country. Currently Moldova does not take full advantage of existing preferences offered under GSP.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will review the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 in so far as they currently exempt furniture products that are registered as medical devices and which can be legally marketed in the United Kingdom for domestic use even though they do not meet the standards laid down in the regulations. [HL1857]

This is a matter for the Medical Devices Agency.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether consumer safety is adequately served when mattresses containing viscoelastic foam which has not been combustion-modified may be legally marketed, distributed and sold in the United Kingdom. [HL1858]

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 impose requirements in relation to new domestic furniture, including garden furniture which may be used indoors and furniture used in caravans, subject to exceptions from some of the Regulations for certain furniture. Some of the requirements apply to second-hand furniture. The regulations do not apply to goods for export or to the supply of goods made before 1 January 1950 or to supply of materials intended for re-upholstering furniture made before that date.The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 ensure a high-level of consumer safety.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What purpose is intended to be achieved by permitting regional development agencies to bid for licences in the forthcoming 3.4GHz spectrum auction. [HL1986]

The award of radio licences at 3.4GHz is part of the strategy to help meet the Government's aim to maximise the extensiveness and competitiveness of UK broadband provision. We are aiming to build a broadband Britain by offering services through as many platforms as possible, such as a number of wireless spectrum bands including the 3.4GHz spectrum.Any body corporate may make an application to take part in the forthcoming 3.4GHz spectrum auction. Applications may he refused where the grant of a licence to that applicant would be prejudicial to the interests of national security or the applicant would not be a fit and proper person to hold a licence.No specific provisions have been made to allow regional development agencies to take part in the auction, but nor do we believe that it is necessary to exclude them from the auction.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish a White Paper on the future of coal-fired power stations in the United Kingdom, including the case for using British coal and the need to protect the environment. [HL2007]

The Government's recent White Paper Our Energy Future recognises that coal-fired generation will have an important part to play in widening the diversity of the energy mix, provided ways can be found materially to reduce its carbon emissions. We will continue to support relevant research projects, including internationally, to develop options for cleaner coal technologies and for carbon capture and storage.Indigenous coal competes freely with imported coal to supply electricity generators. We have recently announced a coal investment aid scheme worth up to £60 million over three years to support chosen commercially realistic projects which maintain access to reserves and preserve jobs in mining areas.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether a preferred bidder has been appointed for the Hayes public private partnership project. [HL2165]

The Ministry of Defence has decided to appoint TNT Express Services with ProLogis Ltd as the preferred bidder for the Hayes PPP project. Subject to negotiations, TNT will be responsible for the provision of records management and archiving services to the Ministry of Defence and a number of other government organisations for a 25-year period. ProLogis will become the owners of the ministry site at Bourne Avenue, Hayes, Middlesex and will be responsible for its redevelopment. Within two years, TNT intends to relocate the records service to new facilities in the Midlands.This project is a pan-government collaboration between the MoD, as project sponsor, and its 13 partners which are as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will confirm the re-appointment of Lord Patel to the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body.[HL2166]

We are pleased to announce that we have re-appointed Lord Patel as a member of the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body for a second three-year term. This appointment has been conducted in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments' guidance on appointments to public bodies.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What additional funding will be available to meet the humanitarian consequences of a war in Iraq over and above existing aid budgets; and, if this is to come from the global contingency reserve, how much of that reserve is already committed in this financial year. [HL1930]

The Department for International Development's contingency reserve for the current financial year, which ends on 31 March, has already been fully allocated to emergency needs in other parts of the world. It has been used to respond to the crises in southern Africa, the Horn of Africa, Palestine and elsewhere. DfID has a budget of just under £100 million for responding to rapid onset emergencies in poor countries, as well as the contingency reserve for 2003–04, which is unallocated, both of which we would draw on for any Iraq emergency to supplement funds available from the Iraq aid framework. Combined with the department's existing programme of humanitarian support for Iraq, this might mean up to around £65 million could be available for Iraq for response to immediate needs. Discussions are taking place with other government departments on how Iraq's further funding needs could be met.

asked Her Majesty's Government:As regards the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA):

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency's budget for 2003 is approximately US$300 million. It will be similar next year. There is a further budget of US$93 million for its emergency appeal for the first six months of 2003. Voluntary contributions are paid to UNRWA throughout the year. UNRWA draws down these contributions on a regular basis to meet its recurrent and emergency needs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How far the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's appeal for £60 million made in December 2002 has been successful; whether the United Kingdom has contributed; and, if so, how much.[HL1995]

UNRWA has so far received confirmed pledges totalling US$28.6 million for the 2003 emergency appeal. The UK has contributed £1.8 million, and we plan to contribute more. We also contribute substantially to UNRWA's general budget.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many United Nations Relief and Works Agency personnel have been killed and wounded since September 2000. [HL1996]

Between 28 September 2000 and 9 December 2002 six UNRWA personnel have been killed. Of these, two were working at the time they were killed. Thirty-eight UNRWA personnel have been wounded.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Israel will be obliged to compensate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for damage done by military action to schools, clinics, hospitals, etc. [HL1997]

UNRWA, together with the international community more widely, has made repeated representations to the Government of Israel about damage caused during Israeli incursions. UNRWA and the international community have reserved the right to seek compensation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made in introducing the package of reforms designed to tighten court rules and importing some of the conclusions from the surveys of the good practice guidelines produced by the Children Act sub-committee of the Lord Chancellor's advisory board on family law.[HLI902]

The department and the President of the Family Division's Adoption Committee are considering the stakeholder responses and efficiency gains following implementation of the guidelines. A full analysis of the data collected is expected to be completed this spring. A decision will be made in relation to the extent of incorporation of these guidelines into future rules of court.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To assist statementing and meeting special educational needs, whether they will commend to local education authorities the Oxfordshire Local Education Authority approach to monitoring support for children with special educational needs.[HL1953]

We are always pleased to hear about interesting arrangements for monitoring the support of children with special educational needs, and I am grateful to the noble Lord for bringing Oxfordshire's work to our attention. It is, however, ultimately up to individual authorities to develop their own systems for monitoring the effectiveness of the support provided for children with special educational needs in their areas in the light of local needs and circumstances. They may of course want to approach other successful authorities for information and advice in doing so. The Government welcome and encourage the sharing of practice in this way, rather than commending one particular approach as a model, given differing local circumstances.Guidance on approaches to the distribution of resources for meeting the needs of children with special educational needs is given in

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will seek to ensure that there is maintained an up-to-date register showing the extent of access for disabled persons to listed buildings offering public access in London.[HL2045]

There are currently no plans to establish a register of this type. English Heritage is, however, conducting access audits of its directly managed properties.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish a list of gifts given to Ministers of the Crown during their period in public office; and, if not, why not; and [HL1971]Whether the report in the

The Prime Minister has today published a list of gifts received by Ministers. The list provides details of gifts received since June 200 I valued at more than £140. Copies of the list have been placed in the Libraries of the House.It is standard practice for there to be a dialogue between departments and the ombudsman about draft reports. A meeting was held between the permanent secretaries in the Cabinet Office and the Lord Chancellor's Department and the ombudsman as part of this process. It was not an attempt to change the ombudsman's finding. The final decision on what is in the report is for the ombudsman.