PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams says bringing the National Ordinance in line with the Civil Code to increase the legal drinking age from 16 to 18 can be done "rather quickly."

 

Independent MP Cornelius de Weever suggested that the legal age for cigarettes should also be addressed and not just that of alcohol.

 

The MPs were speaking during a session of Parliament's Permanent Committee of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) on Thursday. Wescot-Williams said given that the country's Civil Code has the legal drinking age at 18, "it should not require too much for us to bring the national ordinance in line with the Civil Code."

 

The MP said she has already asked one of the advisors to parliament to present his thoughts and recommendations on this matter. A similar request has been made to Parliament's General Secretary. "I believe that there are actions that can be taken speedily from the perspective of parliament," she said.

 

Wescot-Williams' comments were a follow up to the request made in parliament recently by the Lion's Club for an increase in the legal drinking age from 16 to 18 to correct a discrepancy in the laws and to curb drinking amongst youngsters.

 

During that earlier session, Melinda Hoeve of the Lion's Youth, Health, and Education (YHE) committee spoke of a discrepancy in the Penal Code and in the Licence Ordinance ("Vergunningslandsverordening") as it relates to the sale of and serving of alcoholic beverages to minors. While article 475 of the Penal Code prohibits the sale and serving of alcoholic beverages to minors under age 18 with a maximum prison sentence of six months or a NAf. 7,500 fine; the Licence Ordinance prohibits establishments from selling or serving alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 16, unless accompanied by their parents or guardian.

 

Violating the Licence Ordinance can result in a fine of up to NAf. 5,000 or a prison sentence of up to four months. Persons who repeat the offense within a two-year time-span will serve a prison sentence of maximum six months. The Licence Ordinance regulates licences for bars and restaurants; delis and fast food operations; liquor licences for wholesale and retail; hotels, guesthouses, ice cream parlours and vending machines.

 

Hoeve had told MPs that there is a need to increase the legal drinking age from 16 to 18 in the Licence Ordinance. She said as of January 1, 2014 the legal drinking age in the Netherlands became 18.

 

The Lion's Club presentation also alluded to statistics which show that between January and October, 2014, there were 50 accidents credited to persons driving under the influence of alcohol. Some 14 per cent of the cases were prosecuted in a court of law and nearly 25 per cent of the accidents were caused by youngsters.

 

Talks on this subject in CECYSA Thursday were part of the discussion on an agenda point to approve the committee's decision list for the 2014-2015 parliamentary year, which was done before the meeting was closed to the public for a private discussion on the other two agenda points (see related story).