THE state should not tell people how to parent, according to the AM for Aberconwy.

Janet Finch-Saunders was reacting to the controversial proposed Smacking Ban Bill being considered at the Welsh Assembly.

She said a survey for the Conservative party indicated 79 percent of respondents were against the ban, a figure higher than the Welsh Government’s consultation.

This showed some two thirds of the respondents did not support the Bill to outlaw reasonable chastisement.

If passed the Bill would make it a criminal offence to smack a child as a form of punishment. One respondent to the survey said: “There are already laws in place and it is not necessary to seek to criminalise parents. The impact on a child of a parent taken away by police is greater than the impact of a slight smack.”

She added: “If convicted, parents and families could end up with permanent criminal records, harm to employment chances and potential separation could be the result.”

Mrs Finch-Saunders, whose shadow ministerial portfolio includes children and young people, argued there will need to be a continuing public information programme to keep both new parents and visitors to Wales aware of the ban, and others who may witness what they believe to be a breach of it.

She said: “It is essential the public is provided with information about what they can do if they see something. I think the Deputy Minister’s repetition that safeguarding is everybody’s business doesn’t cut through to the concern we have. We need ensure the public is confident enough to feel they’ve correctly judged a particular situation. To judge is the key point. The Welsh Government is asking everyone to be well equipped enough to see if an incident would definitely merit police or social service involvement. Only after a visit from these services that context can be determined.”