Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions his Department has had with petrol retailers to ensure that changes in the cost of oil are reflected in the retail prices of petrol; and if he will make a statement.

The Government believes that it is important that consumers get a fair deal and that falls in oil prices are passed on to lower prices for motorists. We wrote to major fuel retailers on 7 November seeking reassurance that they were fully passing on changes in the oil price to UK consumers at pumps in full and as quickly as possible.

The Department regularly meets petrol retailers and their representatives, and closely monitors pump prices, publishing data regularly:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/oil-and-petroleum-products-weekly-statistics.

In January 2013, the Office for Fair Trading published the results of a Call for Information which found no evidence that oil prices rises are passed on to motorists more quickly than price falls.