Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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605. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the role the Commission on Energy Regulation has in the regulation of oil, petrol and diesel prices in the Irish economy; and his views that the pricing of this crucial area of Ireland’s energy supply should be regulated in the interests of Irish households and small businesses. [4894/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The Commission for Energy Regulation's (CER) primary economic responsibilities in energy are to regulate the Irish electricity and natural gas sectors. There is free entry to the Irish oil market, no price control and it is Government policy to encourage price competition and consumer choice. As the Irish oil sector is completely privatised, liberalised and deregulated, the CER has no role in the oil market.Oil is consumed in two sectors of the economy - in transport and heating. The amount of oil used in the electricity sector is negligible at less than 1%. In terms of gasoline and diesel prices at the pump and home heating prices, the Consumer and Competition Commission (under the aegis of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation) has a role in ensuring that the market is functioning correctly and that consumers are not being disadvantaged.

Previous investigations and surveys into oil prices, including home heating oil, have been undertaken by the National Consumer Agency (now the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission), and these are available at . The research indicates that the price paid by consumers is largely determined by taxation levels, the internationally traded price of crude oil and the consequent price at which refined product is traded in Europe, along with the level of competition in the retail market.

It is a general Government policy to avoid excessive regulatory burden and allow market forces and competition to determine price insofar as possible. Regulatory intervention in the oil market could only be justified if investigations by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission indicated that consumers were being unfairly treated by oil companies. Notwithstanding that, in my forthcoming consultation on energy affordability, I intend to consult with the public on whether the oil market in Ireland should be regulated by the Commission for Energy Regulation.