The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, is consulting the Attorney General and Garda authorities about a request for a public inquiry into the murder of two women in Grangegorman, Dublin, in 1997.
His spokeswoman said yesterday he would be in a position to respond to the request "in the near future".
Seven years ago this week, Sylvia Shiels (58) and Mary Callinan (61) were stabbed to death in their sheltered housing accommodation at St Brendan's Psychiatric Hospital in Dublin.
Two people made separate confessions to the murders within months of each other, but no one was ever successfully prosecuted.
Mr Michael Finucane, a solicitor representing Ms Shiels's sister, Ms Stella Nolan, wrote to Mr McDowell last month, seeking an independent inquiry into the case.
He identified five areas in which the current inquiry had not met the standard under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The call for an inquiry has been supported in the Dáil by TDs such as Mr Tony Gregory (Independent) and Mr Joe Costello of Labour.
Mr Finucane has warned that Ms Nolan will take legal action if Mr McDowell refuses to sanction an inquiry.
Ms Nolan has expressed major concern over the Garda handling of the case. Last month she told The Irish Times that she would continue to fight for justice for her sister and Ms Callinan, even if it meant losing everything she had.
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