HL Deb 04 August 1898 vol 64 cc23-4
LORD BELPER

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be read a third time.

Question put.

Motion agreed to.

LORD BELPER

My Lords, I have two small Amendments to this Bill. The first is to leave out subjection 4, which provides that any person charged with an offence under the Act, and the wife of any such person, shall be competent, but not compellable, to give evidence. The omission of that clause is necessary because the point to which it refers is dealt with in the evidence in the Criminal Cases Bill.

Question put.

Amendment agreed to.

LORD BELPER

My Lords, the next Amendment I have is to leave out clause 2, which I now move. This clause proposes to repeal so much of section 10 of the Vagrancy Act, 1824, as authorises the punishment, of whipping. The clause was inserted in the House of Commons, but since then the matter has been further considered, and the Government have come to the conclusion that it is not desirable to part with this power under this Bill. I may say that during the last five years there have only been seven cases where whipping has been resorted to under the powers of the Vagrancy Act, and in each of those oases the offences were of such a seriously indecent character that I am sure your Lordships would not wish that the power should be parted with in such cases.

Question put.

Amendment agreed to.

LORD BELPER

I now move that the. Bill do pass.

Question put.

Motion agreed to.