Shops may be forced to ID stamp alcohol

SHOPS selling alcohol could be obliged to stamp their bottles and cans with identification details in a bid to counter underage drinking.

Off-licences, supermarkets and convenience stores are already required to do so under a three-year-old act but the necessary ministerial order enacting the provision has never been made.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell is now in discussions with senior gardaí to see if practical difficulties in implementing the law can be overcome.