Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 12 Oct 1999

Vol. 509 No. 1

Written Answers. - National Identification Cards.

Denis Naughten

Question:

287 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of national identification cards issued by the Garda to date; the average length of time it takes to process an application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19599/99]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

The Intoxicating Liquor Act, 1988 (Age Card) Regulations, 1999 (SI No 4 of 1999) provide for a voluntary national age card scheme whereby any person who has attained 18 years of age may apply for an age card at his or her local Garda station in order to confirm that they have attained the legal age for the purchase of intoxicating liquor. The regulations came into effect on 19 April 1999.

An applicant for an age card must present in person his or her application in writing to the member in charge of the Garda Síochána station for the area in which he or she normally resides. The application must be in the form set out in the First Schedule to the regulations and be accompanied by the applicant's birth certificate, at least one other document that confirms the identity of the applicant, two recent identical passport size photographs of the head and shoulders of the applicant and the prescribed fee set out in the Second Schedule of the regulations. If everything is in order, the member in charge at the local Garda station will authenticate the identity and age of the applicant, countersign the application form and forward it to the Garda community relations section in Harcourt Square who have been given responsibility, under the regulations, for the issuing of the cards. The Garda authorities have advised that it takes four to five working days for an application, properly made, to reach the community relations section. The prescribed fee is forwarded to the Garda District Officer for lodgement in the Garda Síochána Vote of my Department in the usual way.

The regulations also provide that when an application has been received at the community relations section the designated member there shall, subject to the provisions of the regulations, arrange for the preparation in the section of an age card for the applicant as soon as possible. Article 5(6) of the regulations provides that the Garda Commissioner may, as an alternative to age cards being prepared within the community relations section, enter into an arrangement with a body, to be known as "the issuing body", whereby the body concerned shall prepare and issue cards on behalf of the Garda Síochána. Such an arrangement has been entered into and Article 5(7) provides that in such circumstances on receipt of an application, the designated member shall arrange for one photograph and the application form to be forwarded to the issuing body – who, having prepared the age card, shall issue it to the applicant and shall return the application form to the designated officer in the Garda community relations section with confirmation that the age card has issued. Provided the application is in order, the turn around in the community relations section takes two working days, that is, two days from receipt of the application form to forwarding it to the issuing body.

The Garda authorities have informed me that, to date, some 2,500 age cards have been issued. The issuing body indicated at the outset that the card would be issued within three working days of receipt of the application and posted to the applicant. Due to technical and other difficulties experienced by the issuing body a backlog has occurred. The issuing body has indicated that the backlog will be eliminated this week. The anticipated average length of time to process an application and issue a card should then be in the region of ten working days. The Garda authorities have also informed me that, when the backlog has been cleared, approximately 3,700 age cards will have been issued.