Because of increasing prosecutions of publicans and nightclub owners for serving alcohol to under-age drinkers, the Vintners' Federation of Ireland has urged the Government to assist licensees in the issuing of official age cards.
At the a.g.m. of the VFI in Westport yesterday, the chief executive, Mr Tadgh O'Sullivan, said it was not helpful that the Government age card, introduced in 2000, was only a voluntary identification scheme. The processing of the cards was also too slow, he said.
Meanwhile, the difficulty of identifying someone's age remained a problem, and licensed premises were being ordered to close for periods as a result of convictions for underage serving.
"The current six-week delay between applying for the ID card and receiving it, and the lack of any ongoing promotion of the card, discourage young people from getting involved in the scheme. A mandatory ID system is still the only really effective route in challenging the abuse of alcohol," he said.
To date just one-fifth of the 150,000 young people aged between 18 and 20 in Ireland carry the official ID card. Mr O'Sullivan also called on parents to get involved by insisting that their children get the card.
In response to Mr O'Sullivan's comments on the age card, the Department of Justice said the intoxicating liquor laws only provided for a voluntary age-card scheme, for people legally entitled to purchase or consume alcohol.
The Department said it would make no sense for the scheme to be mandatory because it would then apply to all persons, even those who did not wish to enter a licensed premises.
Some 25,200 age cards have been issued since the scheme started last October, and the Garda receives 200 new applications each day. A second officer to deal with the number of applications will begin in the community relations office from next Monday, which will significantly reduce the processing time.
Garda figures show that 15 closure orders have been made for the sale of alcohol to minors since the Intoxicating Liquor Act came into effect last July.