Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 November 2020
797. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the Department of Education was advised to stop using certain hand sanitiser products in schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34576/20]
View answerThe Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the national competent authority for the approval and registration of biocide products, including sanitisers. Only biocidal products listed on the Department’s Biocidal Product Register may be placed on the market in Ireland.
Following my Department's instruction to cease the use of all ViraPro products on Friday 23 October, the Department of Education immediately commenced a review of biocidal products included in the Education Sector PPE procurement agreement. The review was undertaken in consultation with my Department.
The Department of Education removed a number of biocidal products from the approved list for schools because it had not been possible to satisfactorily confirm their registration status as part of the review. There is no reason to believe that the failure to register a product gives rise of itself to specific concerns in relation to safety or efficacy.
Suppliers of products that are not correctly registered are being required to withdraw product from sale until registration is regularised and the product is labelled with an official PCS label.
