Anne Bruce
Local authority proof of age card schemes stand to be phased out as new PASS and Connexions card initiatives gain momentum.
After months of delays over funding, the British Retail Consortium launched its Proof of Age Standards Scheme this week. A hologram will make legitimate proof of age cards easily identifiable.
It will be used on all proof of age schemes which meet its standards, including new Connexions smart cards, a Department of Education and Skills sponsored scheme which rewards young people in England and Wales for staying on in education. John Warwick, managing director of Connexions marketing company Capita, said that around 20 local authorities had already told him they were considering dropping their card schemes in the light of the development of Connexions and PASS. As with all card issuers, Capita is paying to add the PASS hologram to the Connexions card. No government funding has been made available for PASS. Managing director of the CitizenCard proof of age scheme, Andrew Chevis, said he hoped that putting PASS logos on his cards would be cost neutral as CitizenCard already had a hologram.
He said the company was to start a recall of around 400,000 CitizenCards currently in circulation next month, replacing an existing hologram with the PASS endorsement.
Association of Convenience Stores public affairs and commercial manager James Lowman said PASS was "a little part of the solution" to the problems faced by retailers when making licensed sales.
What was really required was a "no proof no sale" policy from the government, he said.
{{NEWS }}
Local authority proof of age card schemes stand to be phased out as new PASS and Connexions card initiatives gain momentum.
After months of delays over funding, the British Retail Consortium launched its Proof of Age Standards Scheme this week. A hologram will make legitimate proof of age cards easily identifiable.
It will be used on all proof of age schemes which meet its standards, including new Connexions smart cards, a Department of Education and Skills sponsored scheme which rewards young people in England and Wales for staying on in education. John Warwick, managing director of Connexions marketing company Capita, said that around 20 local authorities had already told him they were considering dropping their card schemes in the light of the development of Connexions and PASS. As with all card issuers, Capita is paying to add the PASS hologram to the Connexions card. No government funding has been made available for PASS. Managing director of the CitizenCard proof of age scheme, Andrew Chevis, said he hoped that putting PASS logos on his cards would be cost neutral as CitizenCard already had a hologram.
He said the company was to start a recall of around 400,000 CitizenCards currently in circulation next month, replacing an existing hologram with the PASS endorsement.
Association of Convenience Stores public affairs and commercial manager James Lowman said PASS was "a little part of the solution" to the problems faced by retailers when making licensed sales.
What was really required was a "no proof no sale" policy from the government, he said.
{{NEWS }}
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