S.I. No. 326/1985:

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (SULPHUR CONTENT OF GAS OIL) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1985.

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (SULPHUR CONTENT OF GAS OIL) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1985.

The Minister for the Environment, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 3 of the European Communities Act, 1972 (No. 27 of 1972) and for the purpose of giving effect to Council Directive of 24th November, 1975 No. 75/716/EEC*, hereby makes the following Regulations:--

* O.J. No. L307/22, 27 November, 1975.

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the European Communities (Sulphur Content of Gas Oil) (Amendment) Regulations, 1985.

(2) These Regulations shall come into operation on the 1st day of October, 1985.

2. In these Regulations "the Principal Regulations" means the European Communities (Sulphur Content of Gas Oil) Regulations, 1977 ( S.I. No. 361 of 1977 ).

3. Article 3(1) and article 4 of the Principal Regulations are hereby amended by the substitution therein of "0.5% by weight" for "0.8% by weight".

4. Article 3(3) and article 5(3) of the Principal Regulations are hereby amended by the substitution therein of "£1, 000" and "£500" for "£500" and "£250" respectively.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for the Environment this 27th

day of September, 1985.

LIAM KAVANAGH,

Minister for the Environment.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Regulations provide for the reduction of the maximum permissible sulphur content of gas oil from 0.8% by weight to 0.5% by weight from 1st October, 1985. They amend the European Communities (Sulphur Content of Gas Oil) Regulations, 1977 which gave effect to the Council Directive of the European Communities of 24 November, 1975 (75/716/EEC) on the approximation of the laws of Member States relating to the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels and which prohibited the marketing in the State of gas oil, the sulphur content of which, expressed as sulphur, exceeded 0.8% by weight.