RESIDENTS across Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire can have their say on controversial proposals to ban parents from smacking their children.

The move is ahead of a proposed member’s bill in the Scottish Parliament which aims to give children equal protection from assault.

It is backed by a number of children’s charities, as well as the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents.

A public consultation on the plans will run until August 4.

John Finnie, the Green MSP who is behind the member’s bill, said: “Scotland cannot be thought of as the best place in the world for children to grow up while our law gives them less protection from assault than anybody else in society.

“There is clear evidence that the use of physical punishment is detrimental to children’s long-term health and wellbeing.

“Parents know how important it is to build strong, healthy relationships with their children. We can see from both international evidence and what families here tell us that physical punishment can prevent this.”

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there is no ban on smacking and parents are allowed to use “reasonable chastisement”.

However, hitting a child so hard that it leaves a mark or causes bruising, swelling, cuts, grazes or scratches could result in criminal charges.

Under Scottish law, parents can claim a defence of “justifiable assault” when punishing their child.

But section 51 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 prohibits the use of an “implement” in the punishment.

It also bans parents from shaking their child or striking them on the head.

For more about the public consultation, send an email to john.finnie.msp@parliament.scot.