An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-03
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Mark Duffy (FG), Labour Panel

In light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, it is very disappointing to see how quickly both retailers, petrol pumps and home heating oil providers are instantly jacking up prices. It is totally unfair because it has been already outlined that a spike in crude oil prices should not result in an immediate knee-jerk reaction or an increase in the price of wholesale fuels at petrol pumps and from home heating suppliers.
Just this morning, I was talking with a bus driver who said that yesterday, to fill a tank, compared with today it has increased by €60 already. It is totally scandalous that we have this predatory approach by retailers who are taking advantage of the perception of an increase in fuel prices. There is obviously ongoing unrest in the Middle East but the people who are being charged unfairly now are being charged for oil that was bought at a much cheaper price. There needs to be a wider conversation about this, where we encourage and write a letter to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, to investigate this.
There is a wide range of different prices at different pumps and fuel stations around the country currently. It causes huge dissatisfaction. I have had a number of people contact me. I have seen a lot of people commenting on it online and there is huge frustration and dissatisfaction that prices are being increased so quickly when this fuel was bought at a much cheaper price. The prices go up very quickly but they do not always come down very quickly. It take a long time for the benefits and knock-on effects to be felt by customers. We need to have a statement from the CCPC on it and I would welcome the Leader's support on that.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-03/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:42+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-03