Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking legislative steps to prohibit non-consensual intimate audio-recordings.

There is a lack of consensus about what constitutes ‘intimate audio’ as a concept. However, depending on the circumstances, this type of abuse may already fall within a number of existing offences where audio recordings are used to harass or blackmail. Communications offences may also apply.

The Government routinely keeps the criminal law under review. We recognise the concerns about intimate audio abuse and will continue to engage with law enforcement agencies and third sector groups to better understand the nature of the problem and any challenges in addressing it.