A Commons committee is to quiz outgoing cabinet secretary Sir Richard Wilson over the spin row that destabilised the transport department.

He is to face questioning by the public administration committee on the dispute between special advisor Jo Moore and communications chief Martin Sixsmith in Stephen Byers' troubled department.

Moore and Sixsmith both left the department earlier this year following a number of leaks, including that of an alleged email about a news release scheduled for the same day as Princess Margaret's funeral.

The row continued when Sixsmith, a former BBC journalist, denied that he had ever resigned. The permanent secretary in the department, Sir Richard Mottram, later made a statement to try to clarify the situation.

Wilson will be questioned by the committee as part of its ongoing investigation into the affair. The committee will be particularly keen to identify his involvement, including whether he urged Mottram to speak to the press.

Mottram told the investigation last week that he had been "very reluctant" to make the move. However, he did not specify who had urged him to do so, although speculation has centred on the involvement of either Wilson or Byers.