Number 10 officials may have made contributions that strengthened the intelligence dossier on Iraq but this was not improper, Lord Hutton has ruled.

Detailing his report, the law lord also said he had not considered whether the dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction justified going to war with Iraq.

He said that the debate over the justification for the war was "a question of such wide import...[that it] is not one which falls within my terms of reference".

However, Lord Hutton said he did examine whether Number 10 officials "sexed up" the intelligence dossier as allege by BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan.

He concluded that the dossier was prepared and drafted by a small team of assessment staff, with joint intelligence committee chairman John Scarlett in "overall responsibility".

He also found that the dossier was issued with the "full approval" of the JIC.

Turning to the claim that Iraqi WMDs could be launched within 45 minutes, Lord Hutton said this had been based on a report regarded by intelligence officials as reliable.

He said Gilligan's claim that Number 10 made the claim when it "probably knew it was wrong" was unfounded.

And he also rejected Gilligan's claim that the 45 minute point was added to later drafts to make it stronger. The law lord said the intelligence was not available until late in the preparation of the dossier.

Lord Hutton also said that while suggestions from Number 10 officials may have strengthened the report, this was not improper given that it was intended to be made available to the general public.

The claim of "sexing up" the dossier was "unfounded" in the context of the BBC broadcast suggesting unreliable intelligence had been used.