Current status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 19 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when the results of the pilot proof-of-age schemes to reduce under-age drinking are expected and what action it will take if the schemes prove effective.
Voluntary proof of age was an integral part of the Scottish Executive funded Dialogue Youth and Young Scot smart card pilot project. Under the pilot, cards containing a digital photograph and verified date of birth were offered to all secondary school pupils in Angus, Glasgow, Argyll and Bute and Edinburgh. Take-up of the card was between 80 and 90% and the young people themselves requested that the proof of age element be maintained and accredited. A full roll-out of the card to all 32 local authority areas is now planned, resulting in some 375,000 cards being issued by the end of 2004. Accreditation for the card is being sought under the British Retail Consortium's Proof of Age Standard Scheme, the outcome of which is expected in the spring.