Clause 1 - Amendment of the Criminal Law Act 1967
Criminal Law (Amendment) (Householder Protection) Bill
3:30 pm
Mr Stephen Pound (Ealing North, Labour)
Had I been one of the hon. Lady’s students at Queen’s, I would undoubtedly have been a better person and a finer Member of Parliament—[Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] The enthusiasm with which that comment was greeted might seem to imply that I am somehow failing in my duties at present.
I agree with the hon. Lady, because the problem with the Bill as drafted is that that definition is not explicit. There are legal definitions and current legal guidelines. Reference to the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Crown Prosecution Service booklet has already been made. If we refer to the rubric of that guide note, we will see that the existing law can and should be used. However, it demonstrably does not address the issue of confidence, which the hon. and gallant Gentleman rightly illuminates by introducing the Bill. It is that juxtaposition between a law that is usable and the failure to attain confidence in that law that is the most useful product of our discussion.