The Commission of Investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings will be given a further extension if it makes a request for more time to conclude a final report, a Government spokesman has said.
He said the commission had indicated to officials in recent days that it may request a further extension. In that case, it is expected that a request for an extension, along with a further interim report, would be submitted in the next few days.
The sole member of the commission, Patrick MacEntee, has already requested a number of extensions to establish if documents and information in the possession of security services could be obtained.
He is due to submit his report by Wednesday, but another extension now seems likely. The Government spokesman said that if an extension is granted, as with all previous interim reports, the Taoiseach will bring it to Cabinet and then publish it.
When the final report is received by the Taoiseach, he will be required by law to consider certain issues prior to publication. This is likely to involve requesting legal advice from the Attorney General. He would also wish to submit it to the Cabinet prior to publication.
The spokesman said that the timescale involved between receipt of the report and publication is impossible to estimate, but that the Taoiseach would wish to see the report published.