asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he has received any request from the Minister for the Environment, or any other person, to investigate the substantial differential between the price of coalite smokeless fuel and ordinary coals; the action, if any, he took as a result of such a request; if he intends to take any steps to control the price of coalite; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Coal Prices.
60.
I did receive a request from the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment to consider the setting up of a prices advisory committee to examine coal and coalite prices in Dublin.
At this stage I am not convinced of the case to establish a prices advisory committee which would be a step towards price control. It would be likely to take quite a time for a prices advisory committee to complete an investigation and furnish a report. Action by means of such a committee would therefore be unlikely to deliver results sufficiently quickly, particularly as we are now in the winter heating season.
As the Deputy is aware, price control generally lapsed in early 1986 and reestablishment of the formal price control mechanism is something I want to avoid. It discourages competition. It serves to establish what often are effectively minimum rather than maximum prices.
Accordingly, I decided instead to request the Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trade to look urgently into the price structure of coalite as compared to coal. I expect his report shortly.