Irish Government Considering Proposals to Raise Legal Drinking Age to 21

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http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...311245,00.html

The legal drinking age in Ireland could be raised from 18 to 21, in a bid to curb the country's growing under-age alcohol problem.

Under new proposals being considered by the Irish government, parents who allow their children to get drunk or have wild parties could also be made "criminally liable".
Pub owners who allow people to get drunk and cause trouble could also face "very severe" punishment, including prison sentences, under the proposals which are due to be handed to Bertie Ahern's government this week.
Ireland's justice minister, Brian Lenihan TD, is expected to signal the start of a major campaign to control alcohol consumption, which the government has finally accepted is out of control.
Mr Lenihan is due to receive a report from the government-appointed Alcohol Advisory Committee in the next few days.
The committee has been studying the sale, promotion, consumption and effects - aside from health damage - of alcohol in Ireland.
Mr Lenihan was in the United States, where the legal drinking age is 21, for St Patrick's Day - and used the visit to examine policies and law enforcement techniques used in Massachusetts.
Parents in Massachusetts face prosecution if they allow their children to drink alcohol at parties in their homes, regardless of whether they are present or absent.
It is also an offence for a young person to drive a car with alcohol in the boot, while bars in Massachusetts can also be closed down and owners face criminal prosecution if they have allowed customers to get drunk.
During his Stateside trip, Mr Lenihan also met the secretary of the Executive Office of Public Safety, an agency which works alongside the Massachusetts police department to implement strict public order laws.
In Massachusetts, a person found drunk in public can be sent to a detoxification centre for up to 30 days, with no visits allowed, while the state has had random breath-testing for decades.
Mr Lenihan has recently also met the chief constable of Cheshire, Peter Fahy, who has recommended raising the legal drinking age in Britain to 21.
The Vintners' Federation of Ireland has refused to comment until they see the proposals in detail, but a spokesman said: "We welcome any measure to tighten up the irresponsible sale of alcohol."