asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will introduce legislation to ensure that all octane ratings are marked on petrol pumps.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Petrol Octane Ratings.
37.
Octane ratings are shown on some petrol pumps for purchasers who wish to know them. As such ratings are only a partial indication of the nature or quality of the fuel, I do not think the benefit to the purchaser of such a requirement as the Deputy suggests would justify the administrative difficulty involved.
If one petrol company see fit to market their petrol with the octane rating, surely the other companies could also do it? Is the Minister aware that it is the only reliable guide to the quality of petrol that the consumer is buying?
My understanding of it is that the octane rating is not what might be termed a reliable guide. A survey in Britain some five or six years ago showed that apart from the general differences between various brands of petrol, each brand would behave differently in different cars and that a car may even need different petrols at different periods of its life. Therefore, I do not think the octane ratings as such can be looked upon as being so important.
While it might not be foolproof, is the Minister aware it is the only reliable guide to the quality of petrol? Surely the consumer is entitled to know what quality he is buying. The only reason why the major petrol companies would not want to show the octane rating of petrol is that they might infringe the Sale of Goods Act, 1893?
I am not so aware.