§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Energy how the United Kingdom price for a gallon of petrol compares with prices in other Western European countries.
§ Mr. GrayThe latest available estimates of typical retail prices for two-star and four-star petrol in Western European countries are given as follows. Prices for European Community countries are based on informal surveys conducted for the Commission on 26 October 1981. Prices for other countries have been obtained from national Administrations. National currencies have been converted at exchange rates current on 26 October 1981.
In making international price comparisons, it must be borne in mind that difficulties can arise in times of changing prices and exchange rate fluctuations. There can, moreover, be a wide range of prices within countries and differences in the methods of collecting the data may not always provide comparable figures.
Typical retail price of petrol in Western Europe Pence/gallon 2-star 4-star Austria 164 172 Belgium 186 193 Denmark 177 180 Finland Not available France 169 178 Federal Republic of Germany 156 161 Greece 156 173 Ireland 190 192 Iceland Not available Italy 184 191 Luxembourg 135 141 Netherlands 173 180 Norway 179 185 Portugal 191 210 Spain 158 174 Sweden 164 168 Switzerland 173 180 United Kingdom 165 167 Source: EC Commission Oil Bulletin and national Administrations