IRA members sought for crimes committed in the Republic before the Belfast Agreement will be granted an "executive pardon" by the Government, under proposals to be published today.
The measures will accompany a move this afternoon by the British government to grant an amnesty to up to 60 so-called "on the runs", who fled Northern Ireland after they were charged with terrorist offences.
The concession in the Republic will not apply to the men convicted of killing Detective Garda Jerry McCabe, or to two other men involved in the 1996 Adare raid who were never brought to trial.
Legislation is not necessary in the Republic, Government sources said last night, even though the British government is obliged to put legislation to the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Though the Government could operate more quickly, the Irish pardons will not be granted until the British legislation becomes law - which could be quite difficult for British Prime Minister Tony Blair to achieve.
The cases in the Republic will be reviewed by a specially-appointed tribunal, similar to the one which ruled on early releases for IRA prisoners held in Portlaoise Prison after the Belfast Agreement.
Meanwhile, Northern Secretary Peter Hain has said that police officers and British soldiers should have the same entitlements as former paramilitaries under the new British legislation dealing with "on-the-runs".
Mr Hain said members of the security forces suspected of crimes committed before the 1998 Belfast Agreement should not have to face the prospect of jail while paramilitaries go free.
The British legislation could extend beyond a handful of paramilitaries to include security force personnel.
This could have a direct bearing on some of the so-called 1,800 "cold cases" or unsolved murders of the Troubles now being investigated by a special police team. There could also be implications for those associated with some of the most controversial killings of the Troubles, including Bloody Sunday.
Mr Hain said the legislation could face many hurdles in the House of Lords, but he was confident that once measures contained in the Bill were explained they would be seen to be fair.
"This is a proper judicial scheme, and security force members should at least be treated equally," he said.
"Any member of the security forces who might find themselves charged with crimes pre-1998 should not suffer any discrimination compared with those involved in paramilitary activity, loyalist or republican, who benefit from the scheme and come out on licence."
However, unionists are expected to react with hostility to aspects of the "on-the-runs" legislation when it is published.
With unionist concerns in mind, Mr Hain said that security force members would not be treated as second-class citizens while former paramilitaries are allowed safe return to Northern Ireland without arrest.