Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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467. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the efforts he is making to bring about a reduction of the price in oil and gas, having regard to decreasing prices internationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8453/16]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The gas market is commercial, liberalised, competitive and it operates within national and European regulatory and legislative regimes. I have no statutory function in the setting or review of gas prices. 

Responsibility for the regulation of the gas market is a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is an independent statutory body, and is legally underpinned by the Gas (Interim) (Regulation) Act 2002 as amended. CER has functions to regulate the gas market and to monitor competition and compliance by industry with legislation. In relation to CER's previous price regulation role, it ceased regulating the prices charged by Bord Gáis Eireann to domestic consumers in July 2014.  Prices are set by suppliers operating in a commercial manner in the competitive gas market.

The Irish oil industry is fully privatised, liberalised and deregulated and there is free entry to the market. There is no price control in the oil sector and it is Government policy to encourage price competition and consumer choice. I have no statutory function in the setting of oil, petrol or diesel prices.