Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It does not mean fake driving licences and fake passports. Age cards at the time were introduced for intoxicating liquor to assist people under the age of 21 who wanted to drink to convince bouncers and barmen that it was lawful for them to be served. However, there was no suggestion that this card was a kind of get-out-of-jail-free card in the case of serving alcohol to somebody who could not drink at all, to whom it would be illegal to serve alcohol. Now the Minister is extending the concept and saying that anybody who wants to buy cigarettes can come in with his or her driving licence and say he or she is 19 years of age, and that is a defence. The Minister is now saying to this House that it is all about fake ID, but it is not about fake ID. It is about "an age card, for the time being in force, relating to the person." If the Minister is seriously suggesting that somebody is going to come in with a fake passport to buy a packet of cigarettes, that is an act of forgery and an offence. It is a serious matter. With respect, that is not the meaning of this section.