Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department's publication Electricity Generation Costs 2023, updated in November 2023, what the evidential basis is for the assumption that windfarms commissioned in 2025 will (a) not experience any decline in output over their lifetimes and (b) have an average output of 61% of capacity.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department’s Generation Costs Report 2023 is regularly updated based on externally reviewed evidence; these external reports are also published containing detailed description of underlying assumptions.
The 61% net load factor assumed for offshore wind plants commissioning in 2025 is derived from DESNZ modelling of wind turbine load factors. This calculation combines a theoretical turbine power curve (power output as a function of wind speed, modelled using turbine technology parameters including rotor swept area and hub height) with historic site-specific Virtual Met Mast (VMM) hourly wind speed data sourced from the UK Met Office.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Electricity Generation Costs 2023, updated in November 2023, what the evidential basis is for the estimate that the cost for offshore windfarm commissioning in 2025 will be £44/MWh.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department’s Generation Costs Report 2023 is regularly updated based on externally reviewed evidence. These external reports are also published in the Energy Generation Cost Projections collection on GOV.UK.
The 44 £/MWh is based on cost and technical assumptions from an externally reviewed evidence base and internal modelling. These are shown in the technical annex to the report.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department issues to public bodies on non-disclosure agreements requested by commercial enterprises as a condition of (a) access and (b) investigation for (i) health and safety at work and other (ii) issues; and what oversight there is of such agreements.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have not been able to trace any such guidance being issued by the Department for Work & Pensions and no oversight is provided in relation to such agreements.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to learn from the experience of other countries in managing fluctuations in prisoner numbers.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are not the first country to face acute pressures in prison capacity. As a matter of course, the MoJ engages with international partners at both a ministerial and official level. Recently, we had the opportunity to meet with senior officials from New York City’s Department of Corrections to understand how they are addressing their own capacity challenges. This year, we have also strengthened relationships with countries across Europe and the rest of the world to explore innovations in respective prison estates, technology and legislation. This approach will continue moving forward.
My officials are also engaging in regular discussions with international partners to share information on managing high prison capacity.
We have announced that we will legislate as part of the Criminal Justice Bill to create the powers necessary to transfer prisoners overseas for the purposes of detaining them in a rented prison in future. This decision was informed by consideration of other countries, including the experience of Norway renting prison space from the Netherlands from 2015-2018 to manage an acute rise in prison population. Belgium has also previously rented prison spaces from the Netherlands to alleviate pressure on their prison capacity.
We continue to look at every measure to best manage fluctuations in prison numbers including observing best practice in foreign countries.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of renting prison places overseas to help manage fluctuations in prisoner numbers.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Renting prison spaces overseas has the potential to augment existing prison capacity and provide us with the prison spaces we need to manage our prison population, continue cracking down on crime, and protect the British public from the worst offenders. We are introducing powers that will allow the Government to deliver prison rental agreements with other countries in the Criminal Justice Bill. In doing so, we are following in the footsteps of countries like Norway and Belgium.
This is alongside ongoing work to build 20,000 modern rehabilitative prison spaces - the biggest prison building programme since the Victorian Era – and our intention to invest a further £400m in building even more.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase prison capacity.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are investing £4 billion in the biggest prison building programme since the Victorian era, including 6 new prisons – creating 20,000 new prison places and have already delivered c 5,600 of these, with 10,000 expected by the end of 2025. Over the last year, we have also brought on an additional 2,500 places through measures such as crowding and delaying refurbishment where it is appropriate to do so.
On 16 October, the Lord Chancellor announced longer-term measures to reform the way we deliver justice and to address prison capacity. These measures put protecting the public at their heart – locking away the worst offenders for longer whilst having a renewed focus on rehabilitation for lower risk offenders, thereby reducing crime further. The measures announced include: the extension of the Early Removal Scheme for Foreign National Offenders; introducing a presumption against short sentences under 12 months (which have a high rate of reoffending) in favour of suspended sentences (which have lower reoffending rates); reviewing the sentencing discount given for early guilty pleas; the transfer of adult prisoners to rented prison space overseas; curtailing the licence period for IPP sentences; and extending the use of Home Detention Curfew (HDC).
In addition, a new annual statement of prison capacity will be laid before both Houses. This will include a clear statement of current prison capacity and future demand. The Lord Chancellor also announced up to £400m funding for more prison places (enough to buy 800 new Rapid Deployment Cells) and £30m of funding has been set aside to allow the prison service to identify and purchase land in 2024 for new prisons.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there is adequate prison capacity for offenders.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are investing £4 billion in the biggest prison building programme since the Victorian era, including 6 new prisons – creating 20,000 new prison places and have already delivered c 5,600 of these, with 10,000 expected by the end of 2025. Over the last year, we have also brought on an additional 2,500 places through measures such as crowding and delaying refurbishment where it is appropriate to do so.
On 16 October, the Lord Chancellor announced longer-term measures to reform the way we deliver justice and to address prison capacity. These measures put protecting the public at their heart – locking away the worst offenders for longer whilst having a renewed focus on rehabilitation for lower risk offenders, thereby reducing crime further. The measures announced include: the extension of the Early Removal Scheme for Foreign National Offenders; introducing a presumption against short sentences under 12 months (which have a high rate of reoffending) in favour of suspended sentences (which have lower reoffending rates); reviewing the sentencing discount given for early guilty pleas; the transfer of adult prisoners to rented prison space overseas; curtailing the licence period for IPP sentences; and extending the use of Home Detention Curfew (HDC).
In addition, a new annual statement of prison capacity will be laid before both Houses. This will include a clear statement of current prison capacity and future demand. The Lord Chancellor also announced up to £400m funding for more prison places (enough to buy 800 new Rapid Deployment Cells) and £30m of funding has been set aside to allow the prison service to identify and purchase land in 2024 for new prisons.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Government's net zero policies on the cost of insurance for electric vehicles.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The transition to zero emission vehicles is crucial to the decarbonisation of the transport sector. Electric vehicles offer most drivers savings in terms of lower running and maintenance costs. The Government is working closely with the insurance sector to ensure that the transition to zero emission vehicles is sustainable and cost effective. The insurance sector will continue to evolve in line with the growing EV market, and as data becomes more available to inform insurance premiums.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has in place to safeguard monuments in Whitehall and Parliament Square from vandalism and damage during protests and demonstrations.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The police have comprehensive powers to deal with individuals who vandalise or damage our cultural monuments. It is a criminal offence for a person, without lawful excuse, to intentionally or recklessly destroy or damage any property belonging to another. The police have a duty to protect the public by detecting and preventing crime, including offences of this nature.
The use of these powers is an operational matter for the Metropolitan Police Service. They have deployed significant resources to recent protests and we have seen them take action to prevent vandalism as part of their response to protests in this area. Ministers are unable to intervene in operational decisions of this nature, as to do so would undermine their operational independence.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of retail theft reports have resulted in a charge in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The latest Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimates showed that on a like for like basis crime has fallen by 56% since 2010.
Retail crime, including shoplifting and violence and abuse, is not acceptable and the Government takes this issue very seriously. I expect police to take a zero-tolerance approach to it.
Whilst the downward trend in charge rates is concerning, I welcome the 29% increase in charges for shop lifting offences in the latest statistics.
The Home Office routinely publish statistics on crimes recorded and charges and is the latest information can be accessed via the links below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables