Committe chairman Gerald Kaufman

A privacy law must be introduced to curb intrusion by the media, an influential committee of MPs has concluded.

In a report published on Monday, the Commons culture select committee also called for the Press Complaints Commission to be given greater powers to seek fines from offending newspapers.

In its long-awaited report, the committee urged the regulatory body to investigate issues of public concern over press coverage, even if no complaints have been received.

"On balance, we firmly recommend that the government reconsider its position and bring forward legislative proposals to clarify the protection that individuals can expect from unwarranted intrusion by anyone - not the press alone - into their private lives," the report said.

"This is necessary fully to satisfy the obligations upon the UK under the European Convention of Human Rights. There should be full and wide consultation but in the end parliament should be allowed to undertake its proper legislative role."

However, ministers have expressed their reluctance to amend the Communications Bill, currently in the House of Lords, to bring the PCC under the wing of the new media regulator Ofcom.

And the report has been overtaken by the events of last week when, in a landmark ruling, a High Court judge decided DJ Sara Cox did have a right to privacy under European law.

Safeguards against abuse by the press must urgently be "beefed up", the MPs said.

They argued that commissioners should seek out abuses in an attempt to "actively set standards".

The Commission is set to resist the proposals, arguing that self-regulation by newspapers can be made to work.

PCC chairman Sir Christopher Meyer defended the status quo.

"The PCC is not perfect. But it works better through 'self-regulation plus' - a Commission in which tough-minded lay members outnumber editors - than any alternative on offer. It has been constantly improved over the years," he said.

"Permanent evolution is one of its strengths. I have already set out in May an eight-point plan to increase independence, transparency, visibility and accountability. I welcome the fact that the select committee has endorsed this approach in its recommendations.

"My colleagues and I will of course read what the select committee has had to say in detail. It is important to remember, however, that as an independent body - independent from newspapers, politicians, lawyers and any other interest group - the PCC is not obliged to accept any of them," he added.

But Liberal Democrat communications spokesman Lord McNally condemned the PCC's response.

"It is sadly predictable that the Press Complaints Commission should choose, as its first response to the select committee investigation, to mount a classic pre-emptive PR strike against the process. It should be addressing the issues," he said.

"But if the PCC wants a more thorough examination of the role of the press in our democracy, a simple solution lies open to the government. A high level Royal Commission should be appointed immediately to examine exactly where the line should be drawn between regulation, self-regulation and determination by the courts."