Ritchie to call for commission on fuel pricing | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

Ritchie to call for commission on fuel pricing

SDLP South Down MP Margaret Ritchie is to call on the Westminster Government to establish a commission to examine ways and means of reducing fuel costs, including home heating oil, petrol, diesel and transport fuel.

Speaking to Newry Times, Ms Ritchie said:

“Earlier this year, I referred the issue of the worrying spiral of fuel costs to the Office of Fair Trading – an act backed by fuel retailers – but they have denied responsibility for this matter. With costs continuing to rise, and with the North of Ireland having topped the table for diesel prices in Europe during the year to date, the burden on the consumer is more oppressive than ever.”

“Therefore I shall be writing to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to urge, in the strongest terms, the establishment of an independent commission to examine the drivers behind the price rises and to offer workable, sustainable recommendations on how to reduce the cost. I will also be tabling an Early Day Motion to the same effect in Parliament as a matter of priority.”

She continued, “Bringing fuel prices down just makes sense. The recent Cebr report for Fair Fuel UK showed that a small reduction in fuel duty of 2.5p would generate 175,000 jobs within the year. The knock-on effects of this job creation would boost the economy considerably.”

“It is time the Coalition stood up to the petrochemical giants and to the Exchequer’s addiction to duty-rises and acted on behalf of the people who, after all, have the final say on whether their government can continue.”

Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=15878

Posted by on May 31 2012. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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