National ID card call to combat underage drinking

The lack of a national ID card is hampering efforts to stamp out underage drinking, it was claimed today.

Around half of teenagers between 15 and 17 are regular drinkers, with 60% of boys and 56% of girls reporting drunkenness.

The National Off-Licence Association (Noffla) said its members had to deal with underage drinkers who had forged ID cards or looked older than they were.

“We continue to plead with the Government to act decisively and solve this problem through a mandatory ID card for people in this age bracket and, until they do so, the problems will persist,” said chairman John Shiel.

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has said he has no plans for a national ID card because of the concerns that it would fundamentally alter the relationship of the citizen to the State.

However, he was forced to shelve plans to label wine and beer bottles so that off-licences that supplied alcohol to children could be prosecuted, due to opposition from the industry.