Moreover, statutory regulations have been introduced providing for the issuance of age cards to persons of or over 18 years of age, certifying that they have attained the legal age for the purchase of intoxicating liquor. This so-called national age card scheme has proven to be considerably successful in making it that bit more difficult for under age persons to purchase alcohol, with approximately 70,000 cards having now been issued. To further promote the scheme, I also plan to initiate a €150,000 awareness campaign to highlight the desirability of the use of these age cards among both young adults and on and off-licensees.