The rejection of plans to ban the smacking of toddlers in Scotland has provoked fierce debate.

The Scottish Parliament's Justice 2 Committee published a report which rejected the establishment of an offence banning the smacking of toddlers.

Justice Minister Jim Wallace then announced on Friday that the executive has abandoned the notion of an age limit.

Judith Gillespie, of the Scottish Parent Teachers' Council (SPTC), said she was "delighted" by the move.

Judith Gillespie said parents should be trusted

But Margaret Mackay, chief executive of charity Children First, said the decision proved the committee did not have children's interests at heart.

The National Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said it was disappointed by the move.

And children's charity NCH Scotland said vowed that campaigners would not give up.

Ms Gillespie told BBC Radio Scotland that parents should be allowed to bring up their children without the spectre of "trivial" prosecutions.

She said: "I think it is important to point out that excessive punishment of children is already illegal and prosecution cases have already been taken on this count."

She said that parents throughout Scotland were dismayed by the proposed move because it could have made them out to be criminals.

It is wrong in principle to hit babies and it also wrong in practice

Margaret Mackay Children First

The clause was about making trivial cases illegal and that was its main stumbling block, she added.

However, Ms Mackay said she believed that the rejection of the ban was a disservice to children in Scotland.

She said: "Clearly the justice committee doesn't believe in justice for children, nor does it listen to parents.

"This proposal was modest and it's about not hitting babies and toddlers.

"It is wrong in principle to hit babies in principle and it is also wrong in practice."

She said it was disappointing that a "brave and modest first step" had failed to gain the committee's support.

'Spearhead law'

NSPCC director Mary Marsh said: "Hitting children of any age can be harmful, so anything less than the proposal to protect babies and toddlers would be a real blow to child protection for the whole of the UK.

"We urge Scottish parliamentarians to continue to spearhead law reform on the physical punishment of children, from which the rest of the UK should learn."

Maggie Mellon of children's charity NCH Scotland said she was disappointed by the committee's report and called for the abolition of the defence of "reasonable chastisement".

She said: "We do not agree that children have sufficient protection under the current law, which allows for 'reasonable chastisement' of children."