Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Very good. I wish to make one other point. I have given some oversight of it, in terms of the step up in the price increase that took place in the five-day run-up to the reduction in excise. Every dog in the street knew there was going to be a reduction in excise. The reality is that 24 hours prior to the reduction in excise, a small rural filling station would have placed its order for 13,000 l of fuel. The station would have paid €2.16 per litre for it and then with the introduction of the excise reduction, would been selling that at €1.99 per litre. Over a 24-hour period the station was forced to carry a loss of €5,100 on that delivery. In terms of equality and fairness surely there has to be some recourse for those small retailers who bought in a supply of fuel within 24 hours or 48 hours of the excise reduction. There must be some recourse for them, through their suppliers and indeed ultimately through the Exchequer. Does Mr. Godfrey have a view on that? I appreciate it is an issue for the Exchequer more than for the CCPC but as a policing authority in this area, in pursuit of equality, what is Mr. Godfrey’s view on that?