Seanad debates

Wednesday, 18 June 2003

Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2003: Second Stage.

 

The second amendment provides that a licensee may set a minimum age for the sale and consumption of alcohol which is above the statutory minimum age of 18 as long as the policy is publicly displayed and is implemented in a non-discriminatory manner. It will be possible, for example, for somebody to refuse the sale of bottles of vodka to people under the age of 21 years. As long as a notice to this effect is clearly displayed on the premises, he or she will not be in the position of a licensee who was recently ordered to pay compensation of €1,000 to a person who was discriminated against on age grounds in those circumstances. It must be non-discriminatory on other grounds and clearly advertised. If it is a rule of the off-licence that people under the age of 25 years are not sold huge amounts or certain types of drink, it will not be an infringement of their equal status rights provided the rule is clearly advertised and not applied as a means of getting at other people on other prohibited grounds.

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