Clear red ... ?
Kevin Brennan's family must be delighted.
Just as Dad, the UK Children's Minister, announces that the goverment has ruled out a complete ban on smacking children, Wales' Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services, Gwenda Thomas has said legal discussions are still underway to work out whether the Assembly could go ahead and ban smacking under powers it's seeking from Westminster.
She made it pretty clear that she hopes so.
So Brennan junior, if your Dad ever invites you on a day-trip to ... well anywhere over the Severn Bridge, think twice!
I'm Betsan Powys, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Wales' political editor. I'll be blogging the inside track on .
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I don't really see how this will work properly without full Welsh control over a Welsh legal system. Smacking children isn't just a health and social policy matter. When carried out incorrectly it overlaps into many different legal fields and offences - things over which the Assembly has no Measure-making powers.
A ban on smacking - main argument against mild smacking is because it is not enforceable – The Scottish Parliment decided it was not only unenforceable but impractical - we would all love to live in a world and aim not to smack our children but sadly in the real world the very idea that you criminalise great swathes of good people because they smacked their children and criminalise 63% of the parents in this country is utterly ridiculous. Perhaps those assembly members without children should also be banned from any possible debate. If the Welsh assembly firmly believes the people of Wales want a ban on smacking well then let’s have a referendum on the subject, after all one thing is very clear if a Ban is enforced in Wales it’s the Welsh tax-payer who is going to pay for more Police, Child Protection Workers and any Court proceedings.