§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many responses to the Office of Law Reform's consultation Physical Punishment in the Home supported(a) the law as it stands, (b) a change in the law to restrict smacking by parents and (c) a change in the law to completely ban smacking by parents. [161892]
§ Mr. Pearson"The Office of Law Reform's Consultation Paper—"Physical Punishment in the Home—Thinking about the Issues, Looking at the Evidence" generated a huge amount of interest and attracted almost 1,700 responses.
Officials have now completed an analysis of those responses and are aiming to publish that analysis, which contains the information requested, in the next few weeks. A copy of the analysis will be placed on the Office of Law Reform's website and I will arrange for a hard copy to be forwarded on as soon as it becomes available."