Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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130. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the reason that the fee for the calibration of petrol and diesel dispensing pumps has been increased from €25 per pump to €100 per pump; if he is willing to retain the lower fee for small retailers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35775/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Measuring equipment used for trade, including Liquid Fuel Dispensers for petrol and diesel, is subject to control by the NSAI Legal Metrology Service in accordance with the Metrology Acts 1980 to 1998. The regime of control includes approval of new designs of measuring equipment, verification of instruments upon installation and following repair or recalibration, and inspection over the life of the instruments.

Fees are charged for the verification of measuring instruments used for trade purposes under Section 4 of the Metrology Act 1996. The current fee schedule came into effect in November 2004 and the fees have remained unchanged since then. The charges specified in the schedule for Liquid Fuel Dispensers are €100 for the first meter and €25 per additional meter incorporated in the same housing. These charges apply to all operators of liquid fuel dispensers.

In keeping with the strategy of outsourcing verification services, five third party authorised verifiers for Liquid Fuel Dispensers were appointed in 2012 under Section 12 of the Metrology Act 1996. Authorised verifiers are precluded from charging verification fees that are in excess of the equivalent fees stated in the NSAI Legal Metrology fee schedule.