THE Welsh Assembly is considering a ban on smacking children.

A vote yesterday evening moved to set up a cross-party committee to investigate such a ban.

Currently there is a defence of “reasonable punishment” for parents using physical force to discipline children.

But Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales East Lindsay Whittle said a new committee was not needed and AMs could take action just by amending the gender-based Violence, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Bill.

Mr Whittle claimed the committee was a “delaying tactic” by ministers.

He said: “There’s absolutely no need in my opinion to set up a committee to discuss the withdrawal of the reasonable punishment defence.

Now we have the powers to legislate why do we need to discuss issues to do with legislation? Is it a delaying tactic to drag the matter on until after the next assembly elections?

“The ‘it never did me any harm’ argument cannot deny the medical and psychological evidence that physical assault on children too often leads to them viewing violence as normal.

The United Nations puts children’s rights first and it has repeatedly called on the UK and its constituent nations to protect the rights of children from “all forms of physical or mental violence while in the care of parents or others”. If 42 countries have already acted on this issue, why not Wales?

“On behalf of the children of Wales I appeal to you to reject the setting up of this committee and support an amendment when it comes, and come it will, to the Domestic Violence bill to remove the defence of reasonable punishment against a child.

“Instead of making a mark on the child we could make a mark for the child.”

Welsh government business minister Jane Hutt said the cross-party committee would allow a “thorough examination of the evidence”.