Irish Republic to use identity parades to support ID card campaign
The drinks trade in the Irish Republic is supporting its campaign for a compulsory ID card with a series of identity parades.
The parades are designed to demonstrate how easy it is to mistake an underage drinker for a legitimate customer and feature a pair of identical 16-year-old twins. The twins are dressed differently, one in a school uniform and the other in makeup and casual clothing.
At a press conference in Dublin earlier this month, the Beverage Council of Ireland demonstrated that few people were able to correctly guess the age of the twins.
Bernard Murphy, chief executive of the council, told the conference: "Politicians are always sounding off about underage drinking. But they're asking us to fight this national scandal in a totally wrong-headed way. They're leaving it to off-licence and pub staff to guess customers' ages, but appearances can be so deceptive and, as we've demonstrated here, it's an impossible task."
Licensees in the rest of Britain have also expressed concern that existing schemes are too easy to fake and that underage drinkers are becoming more difficult to spot. Many licensees support the idea of a definitive Government-backed card.
Mr Murphy said a voluntary card, introduced in Ireland a year ago, was not working, with only 26,000 signing up out of a population of 370,000 aged between 15 and 19.
Ireland and Britain, together with Denmark and Sweden, are the only four member states of the EU which do not have an identity card scheme, said Mr Murphy. He added: "If it is right for 11 other countries within Europe, what is wrong with us that we cannot accept it, especially when the welfare of some of our young people may be at risk?"
