An awareness campaign for the national age card scheme will begin within weeks to complement the passing of new licensing laws advising publicans to request official identification before serving a young person.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, will endorse the campaign early next month, urging young people over 18 who wish to be served alcohol to apply for the voluntary card at their local Garda station.
The Intoxicating Liquor Act 2000, which came into force last month, introduced new penalties and measures including the removal of the option for a licensee to claim they had "reasonable grounds" to believe a person to whom they sold alcohol was of legal age.
Chief Supt Catherine Clancy, head of the Garda community relations section in Harcourt Square, Dublin, said yesterday a greater onus now fell on licensees to ensure intoxicating liquor was supplied only to those over 18.
"Now a publican's only real defence is that a young person produced an age card. This legislation was badly needed to fight under-age drinking and in turn the increasing number of public order offences stemming from young people being fired up on alcohol," she said.
Chief Supt Clancy accepted Irish society tolerated the concept of alcohol but said she did not believe it tolerated the negative behaviour that often accompanied it. She called on the licensees of pubs, clubs, discos and off-licences to request the card.
"The over-18s can make informed choices but 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds don't have the ability to handle their consumption of alcohol.
"I hope we can reach a stage where all young people are asked for the card before they are served and I don't see why this can't be achieved. We simply have to increase awareness, education and drum the message home," she added.
Over 13,000 identification cards with inbuilt security features have been issued to young people, at a cost of £5 each, since the card was launched in April 1999.
Gardai, who are processing 70 applications a day by inputting data into a centralised computer, are preparing for a "dramatic increase" in applications after the launch of the new campaign.
Under the legislation a licensed premises can be temporarily closed after a licensee is convicted of an under-age offence. The period of closure is up to a week on the first offence and a month for second and subsequent offences. Premises subject to an order will have to display a sign indicating why it is closed.
Fines relating to breaches of the new law have been increased to £1,000 for a first offence and £1,500 for second and subsequent offences. The endorsement of licences also remains in law but would be at the judge's discretion.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said the Minister was determined to tackle the small number of publicans who abused their licence by selling alcohol to under-age teenagers.