§ MR. O'DONNELLasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether, considering that another winter must elapse before the codification of the Criminal Law, and that the long nights of winter are especially in London the burglars' season, he will bring in a short Act changing the time during which it is penal to carry housebreaking instruments from the present definition of "night"—namely, the hours between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., which omits a large portion of the winter night, to the definition of between sunset and sunrise?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir JOHN HOLKER),in reply, said, that it 1971 was not considered expedient in statutes relating to crimes to define the day as between the setting and the rising of the sun. It was so originally defined, but that had been altered, and therefore his right hon. Friend the Home Secretary would not be prepared to introduce such a measure as that suggested.
§ MAJOR NOLAN,in consequence of the Answer, gave Notice that he should ask why the definition spoken of had been introduced into the Peace Preservation (Ireland) Acts?