London: London police have been accused of a "catalogue of failures" in the News of the World phone-hacking inquiry in a damning report by MPs, reports claimed Wednesday.
The Commons home affairs committee also criticised News International`s, the publisher of the Sunday tabloid, "deliberate attempts to thwart investigations" into phone-hacking.
The committee is calling for extra resources for the police investigation so new hacking victims can be informed more quickly, the broadcaster reported on its website.
Prime Minister David Cameron was due to make a statement to the Commons later Wednesday.
He was expected to speak at the start of an all-day debate on the latest developments in the hacking scandal - for which parliament has been recalled from its summer recess.
While the MPs` report blames News International for obstructing the first police inquiry into hacking, it says there was no "real will" on the part of Scotland Yard to tackle the news group`s failure to cooperate.
It says the conduct of former assistant commissioner Andy Hayman, who oversaw the investigation, was unprofessional and inappropriate.
It is "deplorable" that he began working for News International, owned by Australian American media mogul Rupert Murdoch`s News Corp., two months after he left the Metropolitan Police Department, the report added.
Rebekah Brooks, the former head of News International, was released on bail early Monday following her arrest over phone-hacking allegations.
Brooks was an editor of News of the World 2002-2003 when it allegedly hacked phones, including that of murdered 13-year-old Milly Dowler.
She resigned last Friday over the hacking scandal, following the closure of the News of the World after a 168-year run.
PTI
