HC Deb 21 November 2000 vol 357 cc104-5W
Mr. Jenkin

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what stocks of road fuels are being held by Government and their agencies. [137530]

Mrs. Liddell

[holding answer 9 November 2000]: No stocks of road fuel are held directly by the Government, other than those required by Departments for operational reasons. The Department of Trade and Industry does not collect statistics on such operational stockholdings.

Ms Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the value of ultra-low sulphur petrol sold as unleaded petrol in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [138776]

Mrs. Liddell

Companies have been selling various different types of low sulphur fuel for some while; however, the agreement on a specific quality level for what is now regarded as ULSP was only set out on 24 March 2000. According to HM Customs and Excise data, around a third of petrol released for consumption in the UK is ULSP.

Mr. Peter Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with petrol companies on the impact on prices at the pump of(a) the proposed reduction in fuel duty and (b) reductions in the price of oil on the world market. [139020]

Mrs. Liddell

The retail price of gasoline is set at the forecourts by competitive marketing between the petrol companies. The United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association, which represents the major oil companies, has indicated that it expects that competitive pressure will result in the proposed reduction in fuel duty being passed on to consumers at the pump. The price of petrol at the pump is also influenced, in part, by the price of oil on the world market. World oil prices are now 8 per cent. below their October peak and, over the same period, wholesale gasoline prices have fallen by a similar amount.

Mr. Peter Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the difference in price of fuel in rural and urban filling stations; and if he will make a statement.[139022]

Mrs. Liddell

The Department does not collect separate retail price data for rural and urban filling stations. Retail road fuel prices are a matter for individual companies to determine. Under UK competition law, it is the responsibility of the Director General of Fair Trading (DGFT) to investigate allegations of anti-competitive behaviour and possible abuses of market power. The DGFT can act if pricing levels are the result of anti-competitive behaviour but he has no powers to act in relation to prices as such.

Mr. Peter Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with petrol companies on the timing of the introduction of ultra-low sulphur fuel in rural and urban petrol filling stations. [139021]

Mrs. Liddell

The rate at which ultra-low sulphur petrol (ULSP) can be made available is relative to the speed with which the whole supply chain from refinery to filling station can be switched over to the lower sulphur material. This will be achieved by dilution of the higher-sulphur product, and hence the sales of fuel relative to the size of storage at filling stations will determine the speed of changeover. In the slowest case this is unlikely to be greater than three months from the time of availability from the supply point. According to HM Customs and Excise data, ULSP currently constitutes around a third of petrol released for consumption in the UK. The proposed reduction in duty is conditional on there being nation-wide access to the fuel.