A spokesman for the Patten Commission has denied it would recommend a substantial increase in the size of the RUC when it releases its report on the force's future in autumn.
The claim was made in yesterday's Financial Times, which stated a big recruitment drive among Catholics would make a temporary increase in RUC numbers necessary. It also alleged the employment of a substantial number of additional officers could lead to a clash with the British Treasury.
But a spokesman for the commission told The Irish Times that the claim had "no basis whatsoever". He said that on the contrary, it was a recognised fact that the number of officers would have to be substantially reduced over the next few years.
Asked about the size of a future police force in Northern Ireland, the spokesman said 6,000, a number previously mentioned by the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, was "realistic".
Commenting on speculation the report could be published before the envisaged date in the first week of September, the spokesman said the report would be published "when it is ready for publication and not a day earlier". Mr Patten is due to take up office as one of Britain' EU Commissioners in September.
Politicians in Northern Ireland are said to be keen to bring the report's publication date forward to avoid it coinciding with the opening of the Mitchell review on September 6th.
In the Financial Times article, the SDLP's spokesman on policing, Mr Sean Farren, is reported as saying the British government should bring forward publication to avoid the RUC issue becoming a "bargaining chip" in the talks.
The commission spokesman, however, said politicians' and other interest groups' "special requests" would not be taken into account. He confirmed that the extended consultation process was now concluded and that Mr Patten and his fellow commissioners were currently in the process of writing up the report.
In terms of publication, it was more likely for the date to be moved back to the end of September rather than forward, the spokesman said.
Speculation has been rife in Northern political circles about the contents of the Patten report. The issue is an extremely emotive one, with Sinn Fein on one end of the spectrum demanding the complete disbandment of the force and unionists on the other end objecting to any changes at all.
Reacting to the claims made in the Financial Times, Republican Sinn Fein called on nationalists not to "collaborate" with the RUC and the British government.
The Republican Sinn Fein president, Mr Ruairi O Bradaigh, said a recruitment drive among Catholics was an "attempt to broaden the base of support for British rule in Ireland".