Former Taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald has said that the Barron inquiry reached "incorrect conclusions" about the 1973/77 Fine Gael/Labour coalition government's handling of the Dublin/Monaghan bombings.
Writing in today's Irish Times in his first public comment on the report, Dr FitzGerald rejected the findings that the coalition had "lacked concern" about the bombings, or failed to make all necessary efforts to bring those responsible to justice.
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights, chaired by Fianna Fáil TD Mr Sean Ardagh, will begin hearings on the investigation by Mr Justice Barron late next month.
In his 300-page report, Mr Justice Barron criticised former Taoiseach Mr Liam Cosgrave for not passing on information given by UK prime minister Mr Harold Wilson at a meeting in London in 1974.
During that meeting Mr Wilson had said that a number of Ulster Volunteer Force members, suspected of involvement in the bombings which killed 33 people, had been interned.
However, Dr FitzGerald said he could not "see why Mr Cosgrave would have felt it appropriate, or necessary" to pass this information to the Garda team investigating the atrocity.
"It is my understanding that the Taoiseach regularly received details of Irish Army intelligence contacts with the British, and would, therefore, have been aware since early June 1974 that the British had already informed our Army intelligence of the internment of the Dublin bomb suspects, and that this information would have been passed on by Army intelligence." Politicians do not normally discuss the details of cases in case "such contacts prejudice subsequent prosecutions or extradition channels".
Acknowledging the families of the victims have grounds for complaint, he said it would have been better if an inquiry similar to the one conducted by Mr Justice Barron had been carried out years ago.
"All who subsequently held political office, myself included, must bear some of the blame for the fact that this did not happen," said Dr Garret FitzGerald, who served as minister for foreign affairs in the 1973/77 administration.He said he would appear before the Oireachtas committee.
The committee, which has three months to report back to the Dáil, has asked for written submissions from all those mentioned in Mr Justice Barron's report by January 9th.
Though the Government has refused to declare its hand, it is understood senior Ministers are opposed to a full judicial inquiry.