Who knew and what did they hope to discover?

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A fresh inquiry is to be launched by MPs into the bugging scandal. The home affairs committee plans a separate investigation to the official one by Sir Christopher Rose, underlining the importance MPs attach to their confidentiality. It will take evidence from senior officers at Thames Valley police as well as the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith. It is unclear how much of Sir Christopher's report will be published. Ministers have so far failed to explain how and why the bugging operation was launched - leaving a string of vital questions unanswered. Among the biggest are:

Was Sir Ian Blair told?

If the Met Commissioner was informed, he will be asked why he failed to tell ministers. If he was not told about such a highly sensitive operation involving the bugging of an MP, the question is: why not.

Who authorised it and why?

The Met refuses to discuss the case and there has been no explanation as to what it was trying to discover. Jack Straw has confirmed that it was a police operation and reports suggest authorisation for the bugging of Babar Ahmad was given in 2004 by former assistant commissioner Sir David Veness.

Was Tooting MP Sadiq Khan a target?

The question is whether the police hoped that by bugging Mr Ahmad's visitors they could eavesdrop on his old friend Mr Khan, the Tooting MP. Before he became an MP in 2005, Mr Khan was a highprofile human rights lawyer with terrorist suspects as clients. His legal work made him a frequent critic of police operations.

What happened to the Davis letter?

David Davis sent a letter to No10 on 11 December warning the Prime Minister that a Labour MP had been bugged, apparently in breach of the so-called Wilson Doctrine. But No 10 insists his letter never arrived.

Why were ministers kept in the dark?

The Ministry of Justice admits that its officials were aware weeks ago what had happened but they did not inform Justice Secretary Mr Straw or Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

Their conduct is more extraordinary given the likelihood that Mark Kearney, the police intelligence officer who carried out the bugging operation, would make his allegations public.