“As part of this work, we are considering the Private Member’s Bill put forward by (Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath).”

Labour MP Gill Furniss (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough) said almost 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for upskirting to be a specific sexual offence – with MPs from the major parties backing a motion on the issue.

She asked: “Why is the minister still refusing to act? We really need to make sure that our law reflects that of Scotland’s, where this has been incorporated into their Sexual Offences Act 2009.”

Mr Gauke reiterated that he is sympathetic to the request for further action, adding: “There are offences in place where people have successfully been prosecuted for upskirting, in terms of outraging public decency, and also voyeurism can also apply under the Sexual Offences Act.

“But I think there is a case to say these offences don’t necessarily cover every incidence of upskirting and that is why there is a strong case for looking at the law and whether we need to change it.”

In response to a later question from Labour’s Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North), Mr Gauke said the impact of legislation in Scotland is being looked at closely.