Taoiseach Bertie Ahern says he believes that the British authorities were co-operating with the investigation into the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

The investigation is headed by Patrick MacEntee SC.

Mr Ahern, replying to Labour leader Pat Rabbitte, said he believed that a reference by Mr MacEntee to "certain entities" was interpreted by his department as "talking more about the British authorities".

He said having read the report carefully, he was aware that "Mr MacEntee does not explicitly refer to the British authorities, but that is how all my good colleagues interpret that reference". He added: "It seems to open up the possibility of co-operation with people who did not give information previously."

Mr Ahern said there had been a variety of contacts, including one meeting of significance with the "certain entities" last month.

"As a result of these contacts, the commission has received information in the form of certain security and intelligence documentation, a portion of which the commission considers to be material to its investigation. I assume that information was not received previously," he added.