I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 118 together.
I am committed to tackling the issue of under age drinking but there is no one easy solution. It is a health and education issue as well as a question of law enforcement. Indeed dealing with the underage drinking problem should not be seen as the province of State agencies alone – parents, the drinks industry and the media too, must also play its part in helping to address the problem of underage drinking.
Turning to my areas of responsibility, the introduction of a voluntary age card scheme must be looked at as part of a broader strategy which includes amending the law and facilitating stronger enforcement by the Garda Síochána. In particular, the Intoxicating Liquor Bill, 2000, contains provisions to strengthen the law further on underage drinking. It will do so through removal of the "reasonable grounds" defence in any proceedings against a licensee, closure of a licensed premises for a specified period, and an increase in fines generally. Under current law it is a defence for a licensee to claim that he or she had "reasonable grounds" for believing that a person to whom he or she sold intoxicating liquor was of legal age. By removing this defence a greater onus is placed on the licensee to ensure that intoxicating liquor is supplied only to those who are legally entitled to purchase or consume it on licensed premises. In these circumstances, reliance by licensees on the national voluntary age card as a means of verifying the age of an individual will assume greater importance. It should be quite clear that the introduction of a voluntary age card scheme does make a significant contribution to tackling the problem of under age drinking.