To ask the Minister of Justice what assessment her Department has made of the impact of physical punishment on children’s (i) mental health; (ii) development; and (iii) long-term outcomes.

I met with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health following publication of their report in 2024 on the impact of physical punishment on children and young people. I continue to endorse the findings of the report, which found that the use of physical punishment has a negative impact on children’s physical and mental health, as well as their social, emotional and behavioural outcomes. The report also outlined evidence to suggest that children who are physically punished are more likely to believe that violence is accepted and encouraged by society, which may lead to them behaving in a more violent manner in adolescence and adulthood.

Despite my efforts to do so, I have not been able to secure Executive agreement to deliver a change in the law in the current Justice Bill, but I will continue to work with my ministerial colleagues to seek their support to repeal the defence of reasonable chastisement here and move towards a position of equal protection for children in Northern Ireland.