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, what the average capacity factor was for the fixed bottom offshore windfarm fleet in each of the last five years; what the average capacity factor was for fixed bottom offshore windfarms that were commissioned between 2017 and 2020; and if he will make an estimate of the capacity factor of windfarms due to be commissioned in 2025.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department publishes historic capacity factors (also known as load factors) for offshore wind generation. These can be found in ‘Digest of UK Energy Statistics: Chapter 6.3’ - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/renewable-sources-of-energy-chapter-6-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes
Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
Offshore Wind Load Factor (%) | 39.9 | 40.4 | 45.7 | 37.4 | 40.7 |
The Department publishes estimates for future offshore wind load factors for given commissioning years in Annex A of ‘Electricity Generation Costs Report 2023’ -https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-generation-costs-2023
Year | 2025 | 2030 | 2035 | 2040 |
Fixed Bottom Offshore Wind Load Factor (%) | 61 | 65 | 69 | 69 |
The main reason we expect load factors to be higher for new wind farms commissioning in 2025 compared to the existing fleet is due to the increased turbine size and improved technology of newer turbines.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of reasons for the the rise in excess deaths since 2020.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
Estimates from both the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of death registrations in England in 2023 was 6% higher than expected. It is likely that a combination of factors has contributed, including high flu prevalence, the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
More estimates from both OHID and ONS show that there has not been a rise in excess deaths since 2020 estimated numbers of excess deaths have reduced each year from 2020. The following table shows these estimates from 21 March 2020 to 1 December 2023:
| Pandemic to date | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 to date |
Number of excess deaths estimated by OHID | 170,804 | 70,719 | 43,108 | 30,596 | 26,381 |
% higher than expected | 9% | 19% | 9% | 6% | 6% |
Number of excess deaths by ONS | 187,998 | 76,169 | 52,506 | 32,946 | 26,377 |
% higher than expected | 10% | 21% | 11% | 6% | 6% |
Source: OHID and ONS
Notes:
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, what the evidential basis is for the (a) assumptions on renewables costs, (b) assumptions on capacity factors and (c) other assumptions in the technical annex to the Electricity Generation Costs 2023 report.
Answered by Graham Stuart
DESNZ regularly reviews its evidence base and commissions research to update cost and technical assumptions where necessary. The costs, capacity factors, and other assumptions presented in Annex A of the Generation Costs Report 2023, are primarily based on the externally commissioned research supplemented by internal evidence as appropriate. These assumptions are clearly described and referenced in the reports. The Introduction page to the 2023 report includes changes in assumptions from the previous report.
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, whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost of climate change to the UK economy in 2050.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As the OBR noted in its July 2021 Fiscal Risks Report, “the costs of failing to get climate change under control would be much larger than those of bringing emissions down to net zero”. The OBR’s unmitigated warming scenario showed debt spiralling up to over 130 per cent of UK GDP by 2050 and around 290 per cent by the end of the century as a result of the cost of adapting to an ever hotter climate.
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
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
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
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
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.