Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Rising Fuel Costs: Impact on Motorists

Thursday 17 March 2022 · 6 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 6 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Alex Davies-Jones questioned the Secretary of State about the impact of rising fuel costs on families, noting an annual increase of 386 for petrol.
  • The Secretary of State responded that the Government froze fuel duty for the 12th consecutive year, resulting in a 15 savings per family car.
  • Robert Halfon inquired about the high price of diesel affecting van drivers, with one paying 800 more than a year ago, despite recent falls in wholesale oil prices.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alex Davies-Jones Lab Pontypridd
Economy Transport Energy
Context

Rising fuel costs are impacting families, with the average family facing an increase of £386 in petrol costs.

Question

With fuel costs skyrocketing and the average family facing an annual increase of £386 in petrol costs, my constituents are being forced to choose between getting to work and heating their homes. Does the Secretary of State agree that now would be the worst possible time to introduce a tax hike of £255 on working people who are already seeing their pay swallowed up by the costs of simply living?

Answer from Grant Shapps

The hon. Lady asks specifically about the additional costs of motoring during these difficult times with what we have seen happen to the crude oil price. I gently remind her that she voted against a measure in the Budget to freeze fuel duty for a 12th consecutive year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address whether it is the wrong time for a tax hike, instead pointed out opposition's previous vote

How: Pointing Out Opposition'S Previous Actions

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Q2 Alex Davies-Jones Lab Pontypridd
Taxation
Context

The Treasury is receiving more revenue from VAT and constituents are facing increased costs.

Question

The Treasury is getting more revenue from VAT, so we need to find ways to reduce that duty burden so that people in my constituency can fill up and continue to go to work. Will the Secretary of State speak to the Chancellor about that?

Answer from Grant Shapps

My hon. Friend is absolutely right about the pressures that exist. As I mentioned, we froze fuel duty for the 12th consecutive year, which means that it costs about £15 less to fill up a family car than it would have done otherwise.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address specific ask of speaking with Chancellor, instead restated existing measures

How: Restating Existing Policy

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Q3 Aaron Bell
Economy Energy
Context

Haulage companies are facing an 18% increase in operating costs due to fuel price rises.

Question

Alan Davie, Ian Roberts, Geddes and Laird are the hauliers who keep the economy of Angus moving, and by the Road Haulage Association's estimate they are facing an 18% increase in operating costs purely on fuel. What discussions will the Secretary of State have with the Chancellor to get something sorted to keep our economy moving?

Answer from Grant Shapps

The hon. Member is right to point out the fantastic work done by haulage companies and all their workers. Over the next five years, the 2022-23 freeze will represent £8 billion off the fuel bill for motorists in this country, including the haulier sector, which I recently backed with 32 separate measures to ensure that it can continue to operate during what have been difficult times post-covid.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address specific ask of discussions with Chancellor, instead restated existing policy

How: Restating Existing Policy

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Q4 Dave Doogan SNP Angus and Perthshire Glens
Economy Energy
Context

The Government has implemented a fuel duty freeze, but constituents are still struggling.

Question

It is a very happy St Patrick's day in Ireland because fuel duty has been cut in the past week. I thank my right hon. Friend for what the Government have done on the fuel duty freeze, but the fact is that motorists are paying £1.60 or more for their petrol and diesel and we are heading for a de facto lockdown where parents cannot afford to take their kids to school and workers cannot afford to commute by car and have to stay at home. Will my right hon. Friend make appeals to the Treasury to cut fuel duty in the spending round next week?

Answer from Grant Shapps

I had not noticed that Parliament's most expensive MP was in his place in the Chamber. My right hon. Friend's work has been absolutely remarkable over the years: actually, after 12 years of the fuel freeze, the average family has saved something like £2,000 as a direct result of his excellent campaigning. I will of course have further conversations with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but it will be for him to decide on the next measures.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address specific ask about making appeals, instead restated existing policy and made a personal comment

How: Restating Existing Policy, Personal Insult

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Q5 Robert Halfon Con
Economy Energy
Context

Van drivers are paying £800 more for diesel than a year ago despite wholesale oil prices falling by 28%.

Question

The price of diesel is now so high that a typical van driver will be paying £800 more than they were a year ago. Meanwhile, wholesale oil prices have fallen by 28% in just one week. Those are prices millions of working people and families simply cannot afford, so why is the Transport Secretary still defending the record profits of oil and gas giants as they swallow up the pay of hard-working British people? Why does he not insist that any fall in the price of oil is passed on to the price of petrol and diesel at the pump?

Answer from Grant Shapps

The hon. Lady is absolutely right about ensuring that any fall is passed on quickly. For example, I notice that Brent crude is down to $100 a barrel at the moment—it had been as high, I think, as $130 a week or two ago—and I want to see that passed on. But I am very curious as to why, given her deep concern about the cost of diesel, she voted against our move to freeze petrol and diesel prices this year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address specific ask about insisting price reduction, instead restated existing policy and made a personal comment

How: Restating Existing Policy, Personal Insult

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Q6 Louise Haigh Lab Sheffield Heeley
Transport Energy
Context

The price of diesel is extremely high and the Government has no plan for EV infrastructure.

Question

People need help in the here and now as they struggle to make decisions over which basic essentials to cut. This has to be a wake-up call for the Government. The crisis shows exactly why this country must never again be left dependent on the oil and gas of foreign despots. My hon. Friend the Member for Sefton Central (Bill Esterson) mentioned the statistic of 1,000 electric vehicle charging units outside London—a stat that the Transport Secretary did not correct—which reveals the gross inequity of access in this country to EV charging units. The National Infrastructure Commission was also damning in its appraisal that the Government have no plan to deliver infrastructure. When will he publish the strategy on EV infrastructure that the industry is calling for, to help turbocharge the transition to cleaner transport?

Answer from Grant Shapps

I have to say again that words are one thing—I understand the hon. Lady is doing her job—but action is another. When individuals vote against measures that will freeze fuel prices for British consumers and motorists, they can hardly then stand there and say, “Why aren't the Government doing something?” The Opposition could help: they could vote for it. On EV charging, I do not know where the stat of 1,000 chargers outside London comes from. It is completely untrue. There are nearly 30,000 chargers across the country, of which over 5,500 are rapid. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, we now have the fastest chargers in the west.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address specific ask about EV infrastructure strategy, instead restated existing policy and made a personal comment

How: Restating Existing Policy, Personal Insult

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