Cavan County Council has agreed to write to the Minister for Justice to include a child protection objective in the Sale of Alcohol Bill which is currently before the Oireachtas Committee.
The initial calls were made by Fianna Fail’s Aiden Fitzpatrick who believes “more should be done” to protect young people from the dangers around alcohol and addiction. Cllr Fitzpatrick has offered his support in relation to concerns raised by the Monaghan and Cavan youth substance support group.
In order to combat teenage drinking and drug use, Cllr Fitzpatrick believes education and further legislation is vital in protecting the well-being of young people across the region.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Cllr Fitzpatrick highlighted how the practice of “test purchasing” can be effective. According to Cllr Fitzpatrick, this involves a person who is at least 15 years old, acting on instruction by Gardaí, enters a licensed premises to purchase alcohol.
He believes that an increase in persecuting those who sell alcohol to those who are under-aged would act as a deterrent. Cllr Fitzpatrick said he would like to see an introduction to the legal age requirement for children attending large scale underage events as there is currently no limit in the existing legislation.
