Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Jun 1996

Vol. 467 No. 5

Written Answers. - Petrol-Diesel Prices.

James Leonard

Question:

11 Mr. Leonard asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the price per litre of popular brands of petrol as on 1 May 1995 and 1 May 1996; and the price per litre for related diesel oil and non-related diesel in respect of the same period. [10524/96]

Minister for Enterprise and Employment (Mr. R. Bruton)

I have been informed by the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications that the price per litre for petrol, diesel oil and domestic gas oil in respect of the period May 1995 to May 1996 is as follows:

	Final selling price — pence per litre
May 1995	May 1996
Euro grade (95 Octane) Unleaded Petrol	56.7-57.2	56.9-61.5
Leaded Petrol	60.6-61.3	64.7-65.6
Road Diesel	53.2-53.8	57.3-57.9
Domestic Gas Oil	23.63-24.05	26.13-26.61

In practice, selling prices at individual stations will deviate from above, depending on the level of competition in a particular area and the marketing policies of individual operators of filling stations and distributors. As I indicated above, the selling prices at stations vary and I urge motorists to shop around for the cheapest prices. In this connection in the recent report on the Statoil/Conoco case, the Competition Authority noted that, in some instances, the difference between the highest and lowest price for a particular brand and grade can be as low as 0.3p per litre or over 9p per litre. The cheapest price for one brand and grade can be 10p per litre or more below the highest price for the same grade of another brand on the same date in different parts of the country, although local price differentials tend to be much lower.