Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to make the practice of up-skirting a sexual offence; and what recent discussions and with whom he has had on that matter.

I am determined to ensure that the intrusive practice of up-skirting is tackled robustly: there should be no doubt that such acts are unacceptable and illegal.

I am encouraged to see that this disturbing behaviour has been successfully prosecuted on a number of occasions under the offence of outraging public decency. My officials are reviewing the various laws in this area to see if anything further can be done to tackle this intrusive and unpleasant practice.

As part of this work they are considering the Private Member’s Bill put forward by Wera Hobhouse MP. Officials at the Ministry of Justice have met with campaigners and their representatives to discuss their concerns first hand. We hope to have completed this work soon.

Alongside this, I continue to support wider work across government to raise awareness with police and prosecutors of the existing offences available to prosecute upskirting and to ensure that appropriate reference is made to these offences in guidance for investigators and prosecutors.