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Many noble Lords will have received a review published by the Christian Institute called Does Smacking Contribute to Negative Outcomes for Children?. It analysed 37 peer- reviewed studies. Despite hysterical headlines suggesting that one smack can “scar a child for life”, the review noted that the studies show limited correlation and have never shown that physical punishment causes negative outcomes. Parental depression, poverty, family stability and child temperament are far stronger predictors of outcomes than smacking.