asked the Minister for Justice if he will consider the introduction of legislation, the effect of which would be to enable sellers of alcoholic drink to request the production of special identification cards by persons they consider to be under the legal age for the purchase of alcoholic drink, such cards to be issued at local Garda stations, on production of birth certificates.

As regards questions which ask whether particular changes in the law will be proposed I would refer the Deputy to the answer to Question No. 31 by Deputy O'Keeffe on today's Order Paper.

In replying to parliamentary questions on under-age drinking on 13 December last—Volume 302, columns 1179 to 1182—I said that I believed that the problem of drinking by young persons is a social one related to the drinking habits of the community generally, and that legislative changes or police action can at best have a marginal effect in dealing with this problem. I am convinced that only concerted action by the community, that is, parents, teachers, licensees and so on, will have any significant effect on it.

There are practical difficulties in introducing a system of identity cards. In any case licensees are not obliged to sell drink to any person. If a licensee considers that a person is under-age, it is open to him to refuse to serve drink to that person or to demand satisfactory proof of age.

Would the Minister accept that, even though legislative change is not the answer to the problem, some changes should help in reducing the extent of the problem?

In my answer I said that there are practical difficulties in relation to the question of identity cards. I have specifically asked members of the Department of Justice to see if there is any way to overcome these practical difficulties in the hope that this might help the situation.

Would the Minister not accept that items such as off-licence sales to 15-year-olds is not helping the problem and should not be permitted?

I accept that that does not help the situation.

Does the Minister agree that a change of that kind would help?

It is a matter that must be given serious consideration.