Europe to rule on Ireland's smacking

The Council of Europe will issue a ruling today on Ireland's laws on corporal punishment.

While it was banned in schools some decades ago, parents can defend their use of it in court as "reasonable chastisement", if action is taken against them.

Today's decision is the result of a complaint by a UK-based charity alleging that Ireland is in breach of the European Social Charter because of this loop-hole.

It is expected the Council will rule against the current law.

Here, the ISPCC has been calling for the Government to take action on the issue, and its Chief Executive Grainia Long hopes today's ruling is decisive.

"It's a ruling that will essentially determine whether Ireland is going to remedy a violation of article 17 of the European social charter," she said.

"We're hoping that it will give a direction to the Irish government that it must outlaw corporal punishment.

"That's something that the ISPCC and many other children's organisations, have been calling for for some time."

She said there was no evidence that physical punishment was effective.