The Home Office has been criticised by senior MPs for withholding key documents on the Hinduja passports row.

The powerful Commons public administration committee lambasted officials and ministers for the decision to withhold documents relating to the affair, which led to the resignation of Peter Mandelson as Northern Ireland secretary.

MPs discovered that crucial papers relating to a passport application by Srichand Hinduja were left out of files sent to the parliamentary ombudsman following a decision which was taken "at the highest level".

Ombudsman, Sir Michael Buckley, only received the documents after threatening to end is investigation after a series of requests were rejected.

The MPs were unimpressed with Home Office claims that it was due to "an administrative error".

"Even if, as seems likely, this was more a case of cock-up than conspiracy, it does not excuse the administrative failures of the department," they said.

The committee also attacked the department's attitude to the rules on access to government information.

MPs said it was "worrying" that officials had rejected a ruling by the ombudsman to disclose the number of times ministers had declared their interests.