Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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790. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date his Department was first informed to check hand sanitisers to determine if they were safe to use; the person or body that made that recommendation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34569/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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OLAF, the European Anti-Fraud Office, notified the Revenue Commissioners regarding the import of a hand sanitiser product from Turkey to Ireland from the same supplier of a product that had been tested in Denmark and found to contain excessive levels of methanol. The Revenue Commissioners notified the Department of this information on 25^thSeptember 2020 and arrangements were made to test the consignment and a number of other consignments that had already been imported into Ireland from the same supplier.

All consignments that were tested were detained pending the results of the laboratory analysis.

Following investigations, laboratory results received on 16^thOctober showed that the product did not meet the standards for approval, particularly with regard to the presence of methanol. The company was immediately instructed to retain all product in its possession and recall all remaining product under the ViraPro name from the market or in use by the public.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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791. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department took samples of hand sanitisers being used to determine if they were safe to use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34570/20]

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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792. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of hand sanitizers on which a verification test and analysis were done; the results of these tests and analyses; if a copy of the results will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34571/20]

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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793. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a qualitative analysis was carried out on hand sanitizers; the results of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34572/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 791, 792 and 793 together.

Biocidal products, including hand sanitisers, may only be marketed and used in Ireland once they are registered with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and are entered on the Biocidal Product Register" in accordance with Regulation 20 of Statutory Instrument 427 of 2013.

The hand sanitiser Virapro was approved by our Biocides Unit and registered on the 21st April 2020. As this is an administrative process, no samples were required as part of the approval process. The product was approved on the basis that it contained 70% ethanol which is a common standard for hand sanitiser products and fully complies with WHO guidelines.

Following investigation of a consignment imported into Ireland under the brand name Virapro, laboratory results received on 16^thOctober showed that the products did not meet the standards for approval. Test results showed varying and inadequate levels of ethanol as well as the detection of high levels of methanol in some samples of the product.

At all times, the consignment being investigated remained under quarantine throughout this process.

My Department is continuing to increase its testing of product on the market to provide reassurance in relation to compliance with approved product specifications. In addition to the testing of Virapro products a total of 54 other hand sanitiser products have been analysed to date.

Test results indicate no safety issues with the other hand sanitiser products sampled and analysed.