Consultation on the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill

Tystiolaeth i’r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg ar gyfer craffu Cyfnod 1 Bil Plant (Diddymu Amddiffyniad Cosb Resymol) (Cymru)

Evidence submitted to the Children, Young People and Education Committee for Stage 1 scrutiny of the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill

CADRP-122

CADRP-122

 

About you

Individual

1      The Bill’s general principles

1.1     Do you support the principles of the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill?

— No

1.2     Please outline your reasons for your answer to question 1.1

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

The law is perfectly adequate at the moment to cover all situations. It already protects children from violence and abuse and it is ludicrous to equate a smack with violence or abuse. I say this as someone who avoided smacking my children and who is resolutely against violence against people of all ages but the current politically correct view that smacking as violence or abuse is ridiculous. I well recognise violence against children. The most violent place I ever entered was Scottish schools where each teacher was armed within a leather strap  which was used liberally and almost indiscriminately. I was whacked on numerous occasions, the most infamous of which was three strokes of the  belt for misspelling one word wrongly. And I. was top of the class.You can imagine what happened to those of lesser intelligence. That is why I campaigned against corporal punishment in schools and was highly pleased when it was abolished in the late 80s. Now to equate that undoubted violence against children with a smack is outrageous and totally unjustified.

1.3     Do you think there is a need for legislation to deliver what this Bill is trying to achieve?

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

Absolutely not. My views are trenchantly expressed at 1.2 above

2      The Bill’s implementation

2.1     Do you have any comments about any potential barriers to  implementing the Bill? If no, go to question 3.1

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

Given that I believe the bill to be comprehensively flawed, I hope that it falls long before implementation

2.2     Do you think the Bill takes account of these potential barriers?

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

I believe the bill to be misconceived and so have no views on potential barriers

3      Unintended consequences

3.1     Do you think there are there any unintended consequences arising from the Bill? If no, go to question 4.1

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

Unintended consequences will surely be to criminalise parents and potentially to overwhelm police resources. The latter will be unintended but the former may well be foreseen by the authors of the bill

4      Financial implications

4.1     Do you have any comments on the financial implications of the Bill (as set out in Part 2 of the Explanatory Memorandum)? If no, go to question 5.1

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

No

5      Other considerations

5.1     Do you have any other points you wish to raise about this Bill?

(we would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 1000 words)

Ill conceived and time wasting. Designed solely to satisfy political correctness