It is unacceptable that some publicans are "creaming off excessive profits in the more fashionable areas of Dublin", Mr Tom Kitt, the Minister of State with responsibility for consumer affairs, has said.
Consumers should be prepared to take their custom elsewhere if the price wasn't right, he said yesterday. The six-month order which froze the prices of 16 drinks ended last Sunday and price increases are on the way. Drinks included under the Retail Prices (Beverages in Licensed Premises) Order 2000, were stout, ale, lager, cider (bottled and draught), whiskey, vodka, gin, carbonated beverages, mixers, water and wine.
A spokesman for the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, which represents publicans outside Dublin, said: "A number of our members have reported significant price increases over the past six months in areas such as labour, insurance, rent, rates and local authority charges so it is likely that prices will increase at some stage in the future. However, it is up to each individual publican as to whether they put up their prices." The chief executive of the Licensed Vintners' Association, which represents Dublin publicans, said it was unclear what publicans would impose.
Mr Frank Fell claimed wage costs for bar staff increased by £60 to £100 per week in the past six months.
"I have no doubt that any price increases are totally justified," he added. Mr Fell said there were wide variations in prices in Dublin, with the pint costing from £2.17 in Finglas to £3.30 in "fancy hotels".
A random survey of 10 pubs around the State carried out by The Irish Times, show price variations from £2.13 to £2.98 for a pint of Guinness.
When the Taoiseach visits his local pub, Kennedy's in Drumcondra, he usually goes to the lounge where a pint is £2.33. In the bar, he would pay £2.23.
The chief executive of the Consumers' Association of Ireland, Mr Dermott Jewell, said it was inevitable prices would go up now the freeze had ended.
A Commission on Liquor Licensing was set up by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform in November, with a two-year remit to look at the current licensing system, including a review of the scope for the introduction of additional licences.
Mr Jewell said the Consumers' Association had hoped for an interim measure until the commission reported, rather than a simple lifting of the freeze order.