Government to strengthen alcohol laws

The Government is coming under fire for not imposing tougher penalties on shops that sell alcohol to minors.

It follow s an investigation by a Sunday newspaper, which found that 18 out of 20 Dublin off-licenses sold alcohol to a 15-year-old.

The transition year student successfully bought 25 cans of beer, eight bottles of wine and two bottles of alco-pops.

Only two out of the 20 stores she visited asked her for ID, and the rest made no attempt to determine her age.

The National Parents' Council is furious and is calling on the Government to clamp-down on shops selling alcohol to minors.

Fine Gael and Labour say we need tougher enforcement of the laws if we hope to combat the problem of underage drinking.