174.Section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 controls the sale of knives and certain articles with a blade or point to under 18s. Subsections (2) and (3) amend the Act to close a gap in the law relating to the hiring of a knife or bladed article to an under 18. Subsection (4) amends the proof of age provisions of section 141A to ensure consistency with the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 by clarifying the defences a person charged with selling an article to someone underage can rely upon.