SELBY MP John Grogan has welcomed a scheme to improve ID cards.

Mr Grogan has campaigned for three years for a system which will make it easier for retailers to spot fake proof of age cards.

Home Office Minister Bob Ainsworth and Department for Education and Skills Minister Ivan Lewis joined retailers and licensees to launch the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS).

The PASS scheme is open to all card issuers, and any card bearing the PASS logo will have met a series of standards imposed by Trading Standards.

Mr Grogan, who chaired the committee of retail and pub company representatives who designed the scheme, said: "It's often very difficult to make a correct assessment of a customer's age. PASS will assure shop workers that the information they are presented with is accurate.

"This new scheme will make things easier for young people who may have difficulty proving their age every day. It will also have the added benefit of helping to ensure that young people can buy only the products to which they are entitled."

Ivan Lewis said: "I know from talking to young people that a reliable proof of age is a priority for them."

He thanked Mr Grogan for campaigning hard to get the scheme introduced.

There will be a phasing-in period to allow card issuers to introduce the PASS logo, but in the future the logo will become the de facto standard for proof of age cards across Britain.

Updated: 15:33 Tuesday, January 28, 2003