Media: New inquiry into phone-hacking claims launched

Keith Vaz, Commons Home Affairs Select Committee chairman, said it was acting after Assistant Commissioner John Yates, one of Britain's top police officers, raised questions over the law as he gave evidence to the committee yesterday morning.

The inquiry will focus on the police response, the ease of prosecuting such offences, and the treatment of victims after it emerged the New York Times refused to co-operate with British police looking into allegations of phone-hacking made by the newspaper last week.

The committee's inquiry will be the second time MPs have investigated the issues surrounding the 2007 convictions of News of the World reporter Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire for illegally intercepting the voicemail messages of Princes William and Harry.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport select committee previously described the "collective amnesia" of News of the World journalists when asked about their recollections of the time.

The Home Affairs select committee will focus on the "definition of the offences relating to unauthorised tapping or hacking in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, and the ease of prosecuting such offences". It will also consider "the police response to such offences, and the treatment of those whose communications have been intercepted"..

Earlier, Mr Yates said the Met would press ahead with questioning former reporter Sean Hoare and consulting with prosecutors over whether to reopen its investigation into the News of the World. In interviews with the New York Times and the BBC, Mr Hoare claimed that eavesdropping on voicemail messages was widespread at the News of the World and known to the then editor Andy Coulson, now Prime Minister David Cameron's director of communications.

The claims are denied.