Further refusal by the British authorities to cooperate with investigations into the 1972-73 Dublin bombings has restricted the work of Judge Barron's second report into the events that claimed the lives of three CIÉ workers.
At the launch of the report this evening relatives of the victims and members of the public injured in the attacks heard that repeated attempts by Judge Barron to obtain information from the British authorities, both north of the border and on the British mainland, yielded little or no extra information.
Speaking at the launch of the report Deputy Jim O'Keefe of Fine Gael criticised the "obvious lack of cooperation" from the British authorities and called on the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern to raise the subject with British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair.
Presented today by the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights, the interim report on the Inquiry will now be examined by a sub-committee with a view to reporting back to the Oireachtas within the next three months.
Speaking today, Chairperson of the Joint Committee, Deputy Sean Ardagh of Fianna Fail, detailed various correspondences between the inquiry and British authorities, in which the inquiry was repeatedly frustrated in its attempt to secure certain information.
The committee, though "surprised and disappointed", with the lack of cooperation by British authorities, was unable to say whether it expected an improvement in the future, moving Dpty Ardagh to comment: "We'll try and we'll try again."
In terms of collusion between British authorities and loyalist paramilitaries, Dpty Ardagh said that there was no evidence found to suggest any such activities took place.
According to Dpty Ardagh, "there has to be credible information identifying individual members of the security forces, as having been involved," and "evidence which shows that such collusion was officially sanctioned," before any finding of collusion can be decided upon.
"On the information available tonight," Dpty Ardagh continued, "credible and reliable evidence in respect of both these requirements, is absent" with respect to the bombings on the December 1st, 1972.
In relation to the bombing on the January 23rd, 1973, "the conclusion is that there is no substantive evidence linking the bombing....with any particular group or groups," said Dpty Ardagh. "The fact that the bomb car was hijacked in loyalist area of Belfast, suggests that loyalists, rather than Republican paramilitaries, were responsible."
George Bradshaw (30), a bus driver, and Thomas Duffy (23), a conductor, were killed in an explosion on Eden Quay and Sackville Place, on December 1st, 1972. Weeks later, Tommy Douglas (21), a conductor from Scotland, was killed when another bomb exploded on Sackville Place, January 20th, 1973.