By Neal Wallace

The names of 28 News International (NI) staff appear in the notes of private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, as the full scale of the phone hacking scandal begins to emerge.

According to news reports, the Leveson Inquiry heard that the notes included the names of "at least 27 other NI employees", as well as Clive Goodman, the former royal editor at the News of the World.

Mulcaire's notes have been in the possession of the police since a 2006 raid on his offices, and appear to be the clearest indication yet that staff at NI engaged in the systematic practice of phone hacking. Both Goodman and Mulcaire were jailed for their part in the scandal.

Robert Jay QC, counsel for the inquiry, told the high court in London that the evidence "alone suggests wide-ranging, illegal activity within the organisation at the relevant time".

Lord Justice Levison's inquiry has promised to look at the "culture, practices and ethics" of journalism.