People aged between 18 and up to 25 will have to prove their age to enter pubs at night under new proposals from the Minister for Justice, writes Nuala Haughey
Mr McDowell is also considering giving powers to local authorities to fix opening hours for pubs and nightclubs in their areas, a planned move which has met with criticism from bar workers and Fine Gael, who predicted it would lead to extended drinking times and more alcohol-related violence.
The Minister said yesterday he would propose to Government that people aged "between 18 and either 23 or 25 will have to produce proof of age to be admitted into public bars or to be served in them". A Department of Justice spokesman later clarified that the proof of age would be necessary only after the hours of 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. "Teens would still be able to go in to pubs during the day with their families, say for lunch, but there will be a knock-off point after which they will have to be 18 or over to be in the pub and will have to show ID," he added.
Mr McDowell said it would be up to pub and nightclub owners to ensure people on their premises between these ages had identification documents to prove they were above the legal drinking age, which is 18. Sanctions for failure to do so would include temporary closure of premises.
"It's simply recognising the fact that there's no possibility of controlling the consumption of alcohol by people underage if a member of An Garda Síochána has to come into a pub and work out who's drinking the bitter lemon and who has the Bacardi Breezer," he said. The Intoxicating Liquor Commission will report to Mr McDowell at the end of March, and he said he intended subsequently to bring his law reform proposal to the Government.
The Minister said he was considering giving local authorities the right to fix pub opening hours in their areas as "it's increasingly apparent that the same closing hours in Temple Bar may not be appropriate for Templemore and it's really a matter for local communities to make their mind up on what form of social life they want in their towns."
The opening hours would be set between a time "window" of 11 p.m. and 2 p.m. This was strongly criticised by Fine Gael's Justice spokesman, Mr John Deasy, and Mandate, the union representing bar workers.
Both warned that extending pub closing times would further fuel alcohol-related violence.