Downing Street Says » Children’s Bill

» Monday, November 1, 2004

Children’s Bill

Asked what position the Government would take on smacking in tomorrow’s vote on the Children’s Bill and whether it would be a free vote the PMOS said that the Government’s position all along had been that we believe that parents should be given the responsibility for looking after their children. The Government did not condone any abuse of children but equally we did believe that reasonable chastisement within limits was what parents should be allowed to do. The Prime Minister, as he said he would do after PMQS, was going to meet with a group of labour backbenchers this evening though this should not be taken as signalling a change in policy.

Asked if the Government was going to support the Lord Lester amendment that was passed in the Lords the PMOS said that the Government’s position had not changed. Asked to clarify if he had just said that the Prime Minister believed that parents should have the right to reasonable chastisement the PMOS said that the Government’s position was as it had always been that you should not ban parents from disciplining their children with reasonable chastisement, so long as that did not amount to abuse.

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