Thank you for your statement, Deputy Minister. I'd like to begin by saying that for many years I looked after children who were not biologically mine and they were never smacked or tapped and, likewise, as a schoolteacher many years ago, the same applied. However, the changes you propose to the law have caused alarm to many, many loving and law-abiding parents. Indeed, I have received many e-mails to this effect. Deputy Minister, can you confirm that the majority of parents who responded to your TalkParenting online engagement were opposed to a ban on smacking? How do we encourage change? Is giving a loving parent a criminal record positive to the family unit? Perhaps they will lose their employment and the family may be plunged into poverty.

A former children's Minister told the Assembly that the changes would be not only to criminalise smacking but also any other touching of a child in Wales by a parent for the purpose of administering discipline. For example, a parent who forcibly lifts a misbehaving child would be guilty of battery. Deputy Minister, a large number of parents believe that your proposals will lead to criminalisation of loving parents, and I ask how you answer that and give these parents your response.

Deputy Minister, it's not just parents who are concerned about the changes your Bill will introduce. Dr Ashley Frawley, a senior lecturer in public health policy and social science at Swansea University believes that your Bill will overload already overstretched social services. So, Deputy Minister, can you respond to Dr Frawley's concerns? Dr Frawley also maintains that changing the law will do nothing to prevent child abuse. Deputy Minister, do you believe that changing the law will have any impact on tackling the physical abuse of children? And, finally, Deputy Minister, should your law pass, NHS bodies will treat allegations of smacking as abuse. What provisions are the Welsh Government making to ensure that NHS bodies have sufficient resources and adequate numbers of properly trained staff to fully and fairly investigate such allegations? Thank you.