Sterling rip-off may escape price controls

TÁNAISTE Mary Coughlan has given a strong hint that price controls won’t be introduced to tackle the sterling rip-off, although she insists “all options” continue to remain on the table.

Just two weeks ago, Ms Coughlan said in a TV interview that price controls might have to be brought in if retailers failed to stop overcharging on goods imported from Britain.

But she stressed at the time that price controls were not her preferred option, and in a response to new queries on the issue from Fine Gael TD Leo Varadkar, Ms Coughlan said “competition and consumer choice” were the preferred means of containing prices.