Mobile phone firms seek meeting with drugs Minister

Mobile phone companies are seeking a meeting with the Minister of State with special responsibility for drugs strategy to discuss his plan to force all mobile phone users to register their details.

At present, people can buy a pay-as-you-go mobiles without giving a name and address.

Minister of State with special responsibility for drugs strategy Pat Carey is planning to force these phone users to register their details as part of an initiative to improve surveillance on drug dealers and crack down on mobile phone use in prisons.

Digital Rights Ireland has already described the plan as a blatant breach of people's rights, saying it will allow the Government to track the movements of every citizen with a mobile phone.

The mobile phone companies, meanwhile, say the measure is not feasible and will create a number of difficulties.

They say no other European country has attempted a mobile register and it would be easy for a criminal to purchase a SIM card abroad and use it here without detection.