More robust measures need to be introduced to ensure people under the age of 18 don’t exploit “loopholes” which allow them to buy alcohol online, a Sinn Féin TD has said.
Pearse Doherty said minors are buying alcohol on delivery apps and websites where age-verification is often not adequately enforced.
Mr Doherty said some of these services use ‘tick-the-box’ age verification whereby the person can simply say they are 18 or older.
Some delivery services check the person’s ID when they drop off the alcohol but this doesn’t always happen, he said.
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“It’s self-verified. It’s basically saying that you’re over the age of 18 - but there’s no requirement for you to prove that any further.”
Mr Doherty said the use of facial recognition on the apps in question may help to ensure that the person buying alcohol is over 18.
Under existing legislation, the same restrictions on the sale and supply of alcohol apply regardless of whether the product is purchased in person or online.
The Department of Justice does not collect data in relation to the number of delivery services who have sold alcohol to minors, Minister Jim O’Callaghan said in a reply to a parliamentary question asked by Mr Doherty.
The Donegal TD called on the department to reconsider this stance, saying that accurate data is needed to see how widespread the issue is and if legislative changes are needed to tackle it.
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“The question you have to ask yourselves is, is [the current legislation] working? Does this allow for loopholes?”
Mr Doherty said, at present, the onus is “on the delivery service”.
He said that when a delivery driver arrives at a house with an alcohol order which is already paid for, a young person may answer the door.
In some cases, the driver may ask for ID to verify their age but the person may not provide it, leaving the driver in a difficult position - particularly if the consumer is inebriated and uncooperative.
“There could be intoxication already, there could be a safety issue,” Mr Doherty said.
In his PQ reply, Mr O’Callaghan said it is an offence, under the Intoxicating Liquor Act 1988, to sell or deliver alcohol to minors “except with the explicit consent of the person’s parent or guardian in a private residence in which he or she is present either as of right or with permission”.
If a licensee is convicted of selling alcohol to a minor, a mandatory closure order of between two and seven days will be imposed on the premises in question, with a fine of up to €3,000.
The penalties for a second or subsequent offence is a closure order of between seven and 30 days and a fine of up to €5,000.
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