asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answers by Lord Davies of Oldham on 4 December 2007 (WA 178) and by Lord West of Spithead on 26 November 2007 (WA 95) indicating that the majority of under-age drinking in Northern Ireland did not arise from purchases in licensed premises, whether they will reconsider the case for introducing in Northern Ireland the use of under-18-year-olds within test purchasing operations authorised by the police. [HL1335]

This is one of the measures contained within the proposed Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 which is currently out for consultation.