asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware of the substantially higher motor spirit and auto diesel prices in Ireland, excluding duties and taxes, compared with virtually all other EC countries as published in the EC's oil bulletin Petrolier; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Petroleum Product Prices.
27.
Limerick East): I am aware that prices of petroleum products are normally higher in Ireland than in other member states of the European Community. This difference is due to a number of factors including the different retail distribution structure and additional transport costs which apply here.
28.
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the present retail price of a gallon of: (1) petrol, (2) diesel, (3) domestic fuel oil; the total reductions in oil prices granted since I January 1986; the amount of these reductions which were passed on to the consumer; and the average profit to the garage supplier per gallon.
Limerick East): The maximum retail price for premium petrol which is recommended by the oil companies at present is 58.7p per litre (£2.67 per gallon). The corresponding figure for January was 64p per litre (£2.91 per gallon). There are, in fact, considerable variations in the retail price of petrol throughout the country and I have drawn attention recently to the need for members of the public to be aware of this.
The maximum retail price for autodiesel recommended by the oil companies is 54.2p per litre (£2.46 per gallon) at present by comparison with 59.2p per litre (£2.69 per gallon) in January. As in the case of petrol, there are considerable variations in prices between different parts of the country and I again exhort the consumer to shop around.
Gas oil for domestic heating is, in general, supplied directly by the distributor, the current schedule price quoted is approximately 19.8p per litre (90p per gallon) for deliveries of 1,000 litres or over. This compares with a figure of 29.48p per litre (£1.34 per gallon) in January.
Information is not available as to the average net retail profit in respect of petroleum products. In the case of premium petrol and autodiesel, the current maximum retail prices recommended by the oil companies include gross retail margins of 4.1p per litre (18.5p per gallon) and 4.2p per litre (19p per gallon) respectively.