The Prime Minister is today launching a new initiative—the Commission for Africa—to take a fresh look at the challenges Africa faces. The Commission aims to generate increased support for the G8 Africa Action Plan and the New Partnership for African Development (NePAD).The Commission will conclude its work and report next spring. The Commission will set out the facts on Africa and its assessment of policy on Africa (both within Africa and internationally): where it has worked; where it has failed; where more could be done; and where more support is needed from the international communityThe commissioners will be politicians and opinion formers, drawn from developed countries and Africa. Gordon Brown, Hilary Benn, Prime Minister Meles of Ethiopia, K.Y. Amoako (Head of the UN Economic Commission for Africa), Trevor Manuel (South African Minister of Finance), Michel Calmness's (President Chirac's Africa Personal Representative) and Sir Bob Geldof are already confirmed as commissioners. The Prime Minister will chair meetings of the Commission and will agree the final report. The international Development Secretary will oversee the ongoing work of the Commission on the Prime Minister's behalf.The commissioners, supported by a secretariat, will consult a wide range of experts and thinkers on each issue. The process will be open with public seminars and meetings to discuss the themes and issues. We hope that many organisations will contribute to this work. Each commissioner will host meeting hold debates and call for papers on the theme he/she is leading. The full Commission will meet once or twice before the report is finalised to discuss and agree its overall direction.Over the next 12 months the commissioners will take forward discussions on the key challenges to Africa's development. The themes of the report—and commissioners' responsibilities—will be decided at the first meeting of the Commission in April, but are likely to include some or all of the following: the economy (including development finance, economic integration and trade); education; conflict resolution and peacebuilding; health; the environment; HIV/AIDS; governance; and culture.The Commissioners' work will help inform the UK's agenda for Africa during its G8 and EU presidencies next year.

The Government is publishing the fifth part of the "Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate (Framework)" on energy today. This will be available from the sustainable development in Government website. Copies of the website, on CD-Rom, will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.The energy section of the framework breaks new ground: it sets a Government-wide commitment to reduce carbon on the Government estate that will make an important contribution to the UK's Kyoto target, and will help to deliver our Energy White Paper commitments. The framework will now require all estate management contracts to take account of measures and opportunities for reducing carbon emissions and collecting energy data.Our ongoing work on the framework defines a set of cross-Government targets for sustainable development, and outlines the mechanisms by which Departments will be expected to achieve them. These challenging targets give a clear indication of the Government's continued determination to take a lead in the practical implementation and achievement of sustainable development.The framework for sustainable development on the Government estate can be viewed at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/sdig/improving/index.htm.

The aggregate of civil defence grants to be made for the financial year 2004–05 is £19,038,00. Some £100,000 will be retained as discretionary grant for special projects and special events deemed of benefit to the wider civil protection community in England and Wales. The remaining £18,938,000 will be allocated to individual authorities as set out below.

I have placed in the Library today the latest Information Bulletin on the activities of the United Kingdom Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of Western European Union covering the period November to October 2003.

On Friday 20 February the Police Service of Northern Ireland made a number of arrests in connection with an alleged assault and abduction. The case is sub judice.Four people now face serious charges, including grievous bodily harm, possession of articles likely to be of use to terrorists and unlawful imprisonment. The PSNI are following a number of very definite evidential lines, including video material and the items, clothing and other forensic material recovered at the scene. The Chief Constable of the PSNI has made it clear to me that he is satisfied that there was Provisional IRA involvement in the incident.These events are a matter of serious concern. As far as the overall situation is concerned, my assessment of the various paramilitary organisations' ceasefires, in the light of information I have received, remains unchanged. But all the indications are that there has been a serious breach of the requirement set out by the British and Irish Governments in paragraph 13 of the joint declaration for an end to all forms of paramilitary activity.Such behaviour is wholly unacceptable. As the Government has repeatedly made clear, parties cannot be half-in, half-out of the democratic process. All paramilitary activity must stop.These developments have inevitably had a serious impact on this week's discussions with the Northern Ireland political parties within the review of the operation of the Belfast agreement. At those meetings, we listened carefully to the views of the parties and, in particular, to their concerns about the implications of these events for the establishment of the trust and confidence required to achieve a successful outcome to the review and to restore devolved Government in Northern Ireland.Both Governments are now asking the Independent Monitoring Commission, which was established in January, to examine Friday's incident in the context of the preparation of its first report on paramilitary activity. We have also asked the Commission to bring that report forward from July to May. The report is expected to take account of all paramilitary incidents and activities within its remit since the Commission's establishment. The Commission is obliged by law not to do anything in carrying out its functions that might have a prejudicial effect on any legal proceedings.Both the British and Irish Governments are very clear that the achievement of a sustainable basis for political progress in Northern Ireland requires a full and permanent cessation of all paramilitary activity. As part of the wider agenda of the review, it is vital that we intensify engagement with the parties on this core issue, and we envisage that next week there will be a significant focus on it.

On 8 September 2003. the Secretary of State formally accepted the recommendations of the Steele Review of Safety at Maghaberry Prison. The review recommended that prisoners with paramilitary affiliations should be accommodated separately from each other, and from the rest of the prison population, on a voluntary basis.One aspect of implementation has been the development of a prisoner compact, which makes clear the routine and facilities available to separated prisoners and what will be required of them in return. These proposals were issued for public consultation in December.The Government have considered the representations made and, have made some adjustments to the compact where these do not reduce the ability of prison staff to maintain good order. The revised compact is published today and I have placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses. This is the compact that will set the parameters of the regime in the separated facilities.

A review of the Police amp; Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 and the accompanying codes of practice is being undertaken by officials in the Northern Ireland Office.The review, which aims to bring the existing PACE legislation and the codes of practice in Northern Ireland into line with that in England and Wales, will adopt much of the new or amended legislation and revisions to the codes of practice introduced by the Home Office as a result of their fundamental review of PACE in 2002.

London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is focused on the Olympic Park in the Lower Lea Valley. The London Development Agency submitted an outline planning application for the Park and four ancillary applications to the Joint Planning Authorities Team (representing Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest London Boroughs) on 30 January 2004. Decisions on these, and any subsequent applications, are matters for the local authorities concerned. However, it is possible that decisions in relation to these applications could fall to be determined by me as First Secretary of State (either on appeal or if applications were to be called in). I and other Ministers in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have other policy responsibilities, including the delivery of development and regeneration in the Thames Gateway and the role that the London Olympics bid might play in achieving these objectives. In order to ensure that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's "Guidance on Propriety Issues in the Handling of Planning Casework" is followed, I have decided that any planning decisions arising for the First Secretary of State in respect of development related to the Olympics bid will be dealt with by my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper). She will not be involved in any other matters relating to the Olympics bid.