Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions his Department has had with UK fuel retailers on the adequacy of consumer prices for fuel.

The Department monitors road fuel prices and publishes the information on a weekly basis.

BEIS analysis is that changes in retail prices of petroleum products such as petrol and diesel are primarily driven by the changes in the global market prices for crude oil and in exchange rates. Both rises and falls in crude oil prices feed through to pump prices over a period of 6-7 weeks.

Recognising that fuel is a major cost for households and businesses, we have kept fuel duty frozen. This is the twelfth consecutive freeze, saving the average UK car driver a cumulative £1,900, compared to the plans the previous Government set out in 2010.