§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent representations he has received regarding the price of petrol and diesel in England and Wales. [17883]
§ Mr. JamiesonThis Department receives regular representations on the price of petrol and diesel from a range of bodies and individuals. The current higher price of diesel compared to petrol is the result of increased winter demand for heating oil, which is similar in composition to diesel, as compared to petrol for which demand is generally greater in summer. In Budget 2001 the duties on ultra low sulphur petrol and ultra low sulphur diesel, the two most commonly used road fuels, were reduced to 45.82 pence per litre.