Deasy says IDs will be forged

Forgery of Garda identification cards will increase "tenfold" once the Intoxicating Liquor Bill is passed, according to Fine Gael's justice spokesman, Mr John Deasy, who admitted to using fake identification, while living in the United States.

He also accused the Minister for Justice of not having "a clue how middle Ireland works" with regard to lobbying, otherwise he would not include a provision in the legislation giving local authorities a say in which licensed premises should have "special exemptions" for late opening.

And he believed there should be a moratorium on such exemptions. "The trouble on the streets now is bad enough. The last thing we need is extended hours.

"Until we get a handle on the kind of street crime that exists there is no point in liberalising our drinking laws. We did it three years ago and there has been hell to pay every since. It is nuts." Mr Deasy, who condemned the Bill for not going far enough in dealing with Ireland's drink crisis, criticised the Minister for "boring us for months with drivel" about the introduction of "café-style pubs", yet now "we are told that we will wait until the middle of 2004 before this figment of someone's imagination appears".

He was speaking during the introduction of the Bill, which has been passed by the Seanad.

Mr Deasy said existing legislation made forged identification a "serious offence". But "it is not that serious", because there were "cottage industries" in Dublin and other urban areas making fake ID cards so that young people could get into pubs.

He said that a Minister's private secretary had told him her daughter had fake ID under the assumed name of "Nuala" and that all her friends had them.

Forgery would "get out of hand" unless there were "strict liabilities" for the use and manufacture of fake cards and for their acceptance by licensed premises, he said during the introductory debate on the legislation.

If the Minister wanted this provision to be effective, "there must be some penalty for the licensee".

The Waterford deputy said that while in the US "I assumed the identity of one William Laidlaw, for two years.

"He was a resident of St Catherine's, Ontario, and a crew-member, in the college that I attended. We all did it. We all had fake IDs."

The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, said it was interim legislation and a codification Bill next year would allow for a review of it.

This Bill was a short one, to address urgent recommendations of the task force on alcohol, he stressed.

The Minister has promised to reconsider moving closing time back on Fridays and Saturdays in next year's legislation. "If we are not getting the legislation right, if brighter ideas are available or if there are areas in need of reform," such as in theatre licences, there would be an opportunity to consider these issues.

The debate resumes today.