Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he has asked the Competition Authority to examine the level of pricing in the liquid fuels market in view of the considerable and ever-growing financial burden being placed upon families and businesses here by skyrocketing fuel prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38591/12]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Irish oil industry is fully privatised, liberalised and deregulated and there is no price control on liquid fuel products in Ireland. The price of fuel is dictated by global factors and reflects global market price (traded in dollars), Euro/Dollar fluctuations, refining costs, transportation costs, other operating costs, prevailing Excise Duty and VAT.

Recent increases in prices may be attributable to a number of factors, including increases in crude oil prices, the strengthening dollar and taxation increases necessitated by the current difficult budgetary situation.

The Competition Authority is the independent statutory body responsible for enforcing competition law in the State. Under section 30(2), I, as Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, can request the Authority to carry out a study or analysis of any practice or method of competition affecting the supply and distribution of goods or any other matter relating to competition and to submit a report to me. In the absence of price control measures on liquid fuel products, the Authority has no function in relation to pricing policies or strategies unless anti-competitive practices such as price fixing are in operation. Competition law prohibits undertakings from engaging in activities which prevent, restrict or distort trade or which constitute an abuse of a dominant position in such trade. The Authority investigates anti-competitive practices on its own initiative or on foot of complaints received. If the Deputy is alleging anti-competitive practices I urge him to make a complaint to the Authority which can be contacted via its website .

I would point out to the Deputy that the National Consumer Agency, which operates under the aegis of my Department, carried out a survey in 2008 in relation to the pricing of certain products in the liquid fuels market. The Agency’s report on this matter, which was published on 19^th December 2008, found that in the main price changes for refined petroleum products were being passed on to consumers in a relatively timely fashion, that profits of oil companies involved in the downstream supply of refined oil product suppliers in Ireland were relatively modest and that many fuel retailers were becoming more and more dependent on non-fuel retail offerings to sustain revenue and margin opportunities. The Agency’s report did highlight the importance of the availability of price information in terms of empowering consumers to achieve the best value for money when purchasing liquid fuel products.

The Retail Price (Diesel and Petrol) Display Order 1997 (SI No 178 of 1997) requires all persons selling certain fuel products to specify by way of a public notice on their premises the price per litre being charged to the consumer for these commodities. Accordingly, I would strongly encourage consumers to inform themselves of the different price offerings in their localities so as to enable them to proactively seek out the best value when purchasing fuel products.