3.3 One of the provisions that required synchronisation with the legislation under discussion is section 195 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977. This section deals with "evidence for the prosecution by the husband or wife of the accused, the aim of which is to protect the inviolability of the institution of marriage. It provides that the wife or husband of an accused person shall be competent but not compellable to give evidence for the prosecution in criminal proceedings, but is competent and compellable to give evidence for the prosecution in criminal proceedings in relation to certain offences. It is quite clear why some of the offences mentioned in the list are there, for instance any offence committed against the person of either of them or of a child of either of them. Some of the offences in the list, however, do not seem to have a similar clear cut rationale or connection, for instance the reference to offences contained in the Sexual Offences Act, 1957, which are prostitution-related offences. The Committee raised the question whether this list of offences should not be re-visited in the light of prevailing public mores and circumstances which have undergone changes since these provisions were enacted in 1977, and which, at the time of such enactment, were probably simply taken from the Act's predecessor, the Criminal Procedure Act of 1955. The Committee consequently requests the Department to undertake an investigation in order to determine whether adaptations in this regard are necessary and to report back to the Committee on its findings and to submit appropriate amendments, if necessary.