A parliamentary committee has exonerated former News International (NI) law firm Harbottle & Lewis of blame for its role in a 2007 investigation into phone-hacking, as former NI legal manager Tom Crone faces renewed criticism for allegedly misleading the committee.

The report, issued today (1 May) by the Culture, Media and Sport committee, contains support for Harbottle's role in the investigation into phone-hacking at NI five years ago.

The London firm has come under scrutiny in recent months after News Corporation chief Rupert Murdoch last year accused the firm of making "a major mistake" in its review of a cache of NI emails in 2007.

However, the committee supported Harbottle's position, with the report stating that the firm was correct in its assertion that "there was absolutely no question of the firm being asked to provide NI with a clean bill of health which it could deploy years later in wholly different contexts for wholly different purposes".

The report states that the firm's former managing partner Lawrence Abramson, who led the review, was "simply doing his job as a lawyer".

The report continues: "The fact that [former NI director of legal affairs] Jonathan Chapman drew up such narrow terms for the Harbottle & Lewis review strongly suggests that he was deliberately turning a blind eye to emails that he did not want to investigate further.

"In keeping his conclusions about the emails strictly within the narrow scope of his investigation, Lawrence Abramson was undoubtedly simply doing his job as a lawyer. Indeed, he seems to have made some effort to alert News International to problems that he uncovered."

The report also criticises Crone for misleading the committee over his knowledge of the details surrounding the phone-hacking settlement paid to Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor in 2008, in particular, the 'for Neville' email – which contained transcripts of voicemail correspondence with Taylor and his personal assistant – and a legal opinion from Michael Silverleaf QC of 11 South Square.

It states: "We know now that Tom Crone had also had sight of counsel's opinion from Michael Silverleaf QC which referred to 'a powerful case that there is (or was) a culture of illegal information access used at NGN in order to produce stories for publication'."

"Yet in giving evidence to the Committee both Tom Crone and [former News of the World editor] Colin Myler attempted to downplay the significance of the 'for Neville' email and made no mention of the legal opinion that they had obtained. In itself this amounts to an attempt to mislead the Committee."

The report also states that Crone's assurances to the committee that there was no evidence that News of the World employees other than former royal editor Clive Goodman had been involved in phone-hacking were "not true", stating: "Both Tom Crone and Colin Myler deliberately avoided disclosing crucial information to the Committee and, when asked to do, answered questions falsely."

Crone has since stated that he does "not accept that he gave misleading evidence", and that he is "the subject of serious allegations which lack foundation". (click here for Crone's full statement).

The news comes after Murdoch further criticised Harbottle in his testimony to the Leveson Inquiry last week, which also saw him lay blame on Crone for his role in an alleged phone-hacking 'cover-up'.

The session also saw Murdoch questioned about why NI had not waived client privilege for criminal law firm BCL Burton Copeland, which was "heavily involved" in the 2007 phone-hacking investigation alongside Harbottle. BCL's report has not been seen and the firm has not been able to provide testimony to the inquiry due to client privilege.

The committee adds in today's report: "We call on the company to waive legal privilege, so that the Burton Copeland advice and investigations can be published and submitted to the Leveson Inquiry."

• Click here for the full Culture, Media and Sport committee report