ID blitz proposed in fight against underage drinking

Published on Monday 8 February 2010 10:16

PUBS, clubs and off-licences could be ordered to check the ID of anyone who looks under 25 as part of new Labour plans for a crackdown on underage drinking.

A mandatory "Challenge 25" scheme is one of the measures which the party's new alcohol commission will consider as an alternative to the SNP's minimum pricing proposals.

Labour was launching the commission in Edinburgh today, claiming it will produce a more effective plan for tackling Scotland's drink problem.

The under-25 ID plan would not change the legal minimum age for buying alcohol from 18. But Labour believes it would help create a culture where providing ID was accepted as the norm when buying drinks.

The commission will also look at possible restrictions on alcohol advertising to protect children; using Alcohol Treatment and Testing Orders to tackle problem drinking by offenders; a legal limit on the amount of caffeine that can be contained in alcoholic drinks; and better enforcement of the ban on serving more alcohol to someone who is already drunk.

• Poll: Are compulsory ID checks for anyone who looks under 25 buying alcohol a good idea?

It will also consider alternative pricing mechanisms which would channel cash into dealing with the consequences of alcohol abuse.

Health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said Labour had rejected the SNP proposals for minimum pricing per unit because they would put 90 million in the pockets of supermarkets and big brewers without creating cash for extra police or alcohol treatment.

The commission has been established to consider alternative proposals which Labour claims will be more effective in reducing the level of alcohol abuse.

Ms Baillie said: "We need to consider radical measures to reduce the level of problem drinking but minimum unit pricing is not the answer. The big winners from the SNP's scheme would be the supermarkets and big brewers.

"Any new pricing mechanism must provide more money for extra police officers and alcohol treatment."

Many retailers, including the Co-op, already operate a "Challenge 25" policy, but Labour's proposal would make it compulsory.

A party spokesman said the move would help take the pressure off staff who have to ask for ID.

"If, as a matter of course, everyone going into a bar is asked for ID, it means a 17-year-old trying to get alcohol cannot start being uppity when they are asked for ID too."

He said the restriction on advertising could include consideration of a ban on billboards for alcoholic drinks close to schools, an idea floated by Cathy Jamieson when she was Labour's shadow health secretary.

The commission will be chaired by education specialist Professor Sally Brown and includes former Labour minister Sam Galbraith, former Scottish & Newcastle managing director Jeremy Blood and Graeme Pearson, former director general of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.

Is Labour's "Challenge 25" idea a good one?

Gill Williamson, 41, marketing manager, West Savile Road: "It's good in principle but may be impractical. Many 25-year-olds may not think to take their ID with them."

Alexander Alexander, 82, retired postman, Calder Gardens: "This country is getting worse than Russia. It's like George Orwell. Your getting asked for ID at every turn. I think I fought a war for nothing."