Alistair Carmichael secures OFT meeting to discuss Northern Isle fuel prices (Aberdeen South & North Kincardine Liberal Democrats)

Aberdeen South & North Kincardine Liberal Democrats <info@aberdeensouthlibdems.org.uk>

Alistair Carmichael secures OFT meeting to discuss Northern Isle fuel prices

December 15, 2008 3:01 PM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael will tomorrow (Tuesday 16 December) meet with officials from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to discuss the case for an OFT investigation into the Northern Isles fuel market.

Mr Carmichael has been calling on the OFT for a number of months to investigate the Northern Isles fuel market and the 15 - 20 pence premium that Orkney and Shetland residents pay for petrol at the pumps.

Commenting ahead of tomorrow's meeting, Mr Carmichael said -

"I have been calling on the OFT to investigate this serious matter for many months and I am glad that tomorrow I will be able to relay constituents concerns face to face with OFT officials. The OFT have in the past told me that the extra costs Northern Isle residents pay can be solely attributable to 'market costs'. This answer is simply not good enough and I will be letting the OFT know that.

When you hear that a new fuel supplier can take fuel shipped to Scrabster, drive it to Aberdeen and then ferry it up to Orkney and still charge a lower price for that fuel than the existing supplier, then very serious questions must be asked about the fuel market operating in the Northern Isles. An understanding of this is what I will be seeking to secure with the OFT, and this is something which I believe they have failed to properly address or understand so far."