Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of price disparities between petrol stations in a) rural areas and b) West Dorset.

Fuel Finder is now live, with all petrol filling stations in the UK required to report their latest prices. Increasing price transparency will increase pressure on fuel retailers to compete strongly to attract consumers by lowering their prices, including in areas where competition has historically been weaker, such as rural areas.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have the power to take enforcement action for non-compliance, including imposing financial penalties.

The CMA recent annual report found that competition has not strengthened since 2023, which was consistent with significant price variations within and between local areas. The CMA has statutory information gathering powers to monitor the road fuels market and will use Fuel Finder data to further assess regional pricing.