Written answers

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Environmental Regulations

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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524. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the steps he is taking to test the technical specifications for gas oils, petrol and diesel to ensure fuel standards in view of recent incidences of the sale of contaminated petrol. [35870/14]

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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My Department’s responsibility for fuel quality standards arises from the perspective of ensuring that petrol and diesel sold in the State meet prescribed environmental specifications to reduce the polluting effect that certain substances have on the environment, when emitted to air as part of the fuel combustion process.  My Department does not have a role in regulating fuel standards from a consumer perspective in terms of quality assurance or the operational performance of the fuel.

Directive 98/70/EC sets environmental specifications for petrol and diesel fuels and is transposed in Ireland by the European Communities Act 1972 (Environmental Specifications for Petrol, Diesel Fuels and Gas Oils for use by non-road mobile machinery, including inland waterway vessels, agricultural and forestry tractors, and recreational craft) Regulations 2011. Under the Directive, Member States are required to report annually to the European Commission the results of a sampling programme for both petrol and diesel, including any breaches of the environmental specifications of the fuel. The Commission collates the data received and publishes annual reports, which can be vie wed on the Commission’s website at the following weblink



For Ireland’s national sampling programme, a total of 100 petrol samples and 100 diesel samples were collected from service stations in 2013 by Inspection Services Limited on behalf of my Department. The samples were analysed by the State Laboratory. The results found that the samples were broadly compliant with the Directive, with just 16 petrol samples and 3 diesel samples found to exceed environmental specifications. The results were submitted to the Commission on 30 June 2014.

In addition to the national sampling programme, the Irish Petroleum Industry Association (IPIA) contracts an independent laboratory to sample and analyse fuel and the results of that analysis are also included in Ireland’s report to the Commission.

If a consumer suspects that fuel offered for sale has been laundered or that their vehicle has been damaged as a result of unintentionally using laundered fuel then this should be reported to the Office of the Revenue Commissioners.

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