Government should impose price caps on sanitiser and masks, says Paul Murphy

Paul Murphy TD has called on the Government to impose price controls on hand sanitiser and face masks after a number of people reported price increases on the products.

The wholesale cost of the two items have soared by up to 500 per cent in some cases, as people stock up in an attempt to deal with coronavirus, creating supply shortages.

Mr Murphy said it would be “very simple” for Government to fix this “disgusting price gouging”.

“Some of the extreme examples are the case of a packet of face masks going for €150. Another one is one of those small, 30ml bottles of hand sanitiser going for a tenner. I think people are rightly outraged at the disgusting exploitation of people’s fears for themselves and their families,” he said.

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“There is a very simple mechanism whereby the Government can follow the example of the French government and introduce price controls. They can do it under the Consumer Protection Act 2007. They can do it by ministerial order, they don’t even have to go into the Dáil.”

He added: “With a stroke of the pen, they can do it and prevent this kind of thing from happening.”

Broader point

Mr Murphy said this behaviour is providing an opportunity to make a “broader point” that “public health should come before private profits”.

“I think an individual taking all the hand sanitiser or face masks because they can afford it isn’t any good,” he said.

“If we are going to slow down the spread, which affects all of us, then we need to ensure as many people as possible have access to these things so there are less people carrying the virus.”

The Solidarity-People Before Profit TD added that “as well as price caps”, there needs to be assurances that these products will be “readily available” for those that need it.

“A big thing is the Government needs to step in to make sure that those who are on the front line who needs facemasks, because apparently there’s a shortage, that they have them.” he said.

“Similarly, in terms of hand sanitiser. As well as the price controls, we need to make sure it is widely available for free in public places, whether on the streets at public transport stops any workplaces that remain open.”

He added that it’s “clear” that soap and water is the best thing to use but sometimes it is “not practical” for people, and that hand sanitiser was needed to bridge this gap.