- (1) Any person convicted before a Court of summary jurisdiction in Northern Ireland of an offence against Sections sixteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty-two, twenty-
294 three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-seven, or twenty-eight of the Illicit Distillation (Ireland) Act, 1831, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding five hundred pounds, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months or to both such penalty and imprisonment. - (2) If any officer of Customs and Excise, or other officer having the powers of an officer of Customs and Excise in relation to offences under the Illicit Distillation (Ireland) Act, 1831, has reasonable grounds to believe that any spirit illicitly distilled, or any utensil, vessel, or material used or intended to be used for the illicit distillation of spirits is in or upon any land or other premises, he may enter the premises if need be by force and examine the premises and every part thereof and remove and take away any spirit which he has reasonable grounds to believe to have been illicitly distilled, and any utensil, vessel, or material which he has reasonable ground to believe to have been or to be intended to be used for the illicit distillation of spirits.
§ (6) References in the Spirits (Ireland) Act, 1854, the Illicit Distillation (Ireland) Act, 1857, and the Revenue (No. 2) Act, 1861, to any officer of any rank of the Royal Irish Constabulary shall be construed as references to an officer of corresponding rank of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and the Commissioners of Customs and Excise may, after consultation with the Minister of Home Affairs for Northern Ireland, direct that any powers or duties which may be exercised or performed by an officer of the Royal Irish Constabulary under the Illicit Distillation (Ireland) Act, 1831, or any of the enactments aforesaid other than Sections nine and ten of the Spirits (Ireland) Act, 1854, may be exercised or performed by a special constable belonging to any class of special constabulary specified in the direction.
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSI beg to move in Sub-section (1), to leave out the word "Sections" ["an offence against Sections sixteen, seventeen"], and to insert instead thereof the word "Section."
§ This Amendment, and the subsequent Amendments on this Clause, are purely verbal and drafting.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Further Amendments made:
§ In Sub-section (2), leave out the word "officer" ["or other officer having the powers"], and insert instead thereof the word "person."
§ In Sub-section (6): Leave out the word "officer" ["to any officer of any rank"], and insert instead thereof the word "member."
§ Leave out the word "officer" ["an officer of corresponding rank"], and insert instead thereof the word "member."
§ Leave out the word "officer" ["an officer of the Royal Irish Constabulary"], and insert instead thereof the word "member."—[Sir W. Joynson-Hicks.]