Reaction - Northern Ireland: The Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, said the British government would study the Barron report with great care and that it was pledged to assist the inquiry as "fully as possible".
"The murder of 34 people in Dublin and Monaghan in 1974 was an act of obscene evil. The pain of that tragedy is still vivid not just for those caught up in the day but also for the families and friends of those who were killed and injured," he added.
"The British government, from the Prime Minister down, has been committed to helping the inquiry as fully as possible."
Mr David Ervine, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party which is linked to the loyalist grouping responsible for the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, said it was a "tragedy" that the report did not provide closure for the relatives of the victims of the UVF attack.
Mr Ervine however said he was not surprised that the report appeared to be inconclusive. He had no personal information about the bombing, apart from the knowledge that the UVF admitted responsibility. Equally, he had no "awareness" of whether individual members of the RUC or British army colluded with the UVF bombers, as the report indicated. "But what I will say is that there will be those with whom the outcome will not rest well because it does not fit what they wanted to hear," he added.
"As so often in such cases, this inquiry does not offer closure for the families. Indeed it could not offer closure for the families," said Mr Ervine.
The SDLP leader, Mr Mark Durkan, backed the families' call for a full public inquiry into the bombings and accused the British government of failing to properly assist the inquiry. He said Mr Justice Barron found it likely that individual members of the UDR and RUC assisted in the slaughter and it was also clear that on both sides of the Border there was a failure to investigate the case.
"And the stakes could not have been higher. Not only did key loyalists kill that day but, because they were not brought to justice, they were able to kill and kill again in the decades that followed without real fear of prosecution," said Mr Durkan.
"What we don't know is whether the British government or the secret services were involved. Judge Barron was unable to uncover evidence that they were but that is hardly surprising when the British government refused to provide him with all the intelligence material that he asked for. Their failure to do so will only increase suspicions of secret service involvement," he added.
The families had rightly called for a full public judicial inquiry into the bombings, he added, and the SDLP backed their call.
"Private inquiries - North or South - are never sufficient to find the truth for the families of those killed, but for a public inquiry into the 1974 bombing to get to the full truth, the British government must face up to the massive duty on it to co-operate fully.
"With the Stevens, Barron and Cory reports, the truth is being uncovered about some of the darkest days of the Troubles and the worst acts of the state or its agents," Mr Durkan said.
DUP MP Mr Gregory Campbell said the Barron report appeared to be inconclusive and followed the pattern of other inquiries into incidents of the Troubles.
"The reality of any event of almost 30 years ago is that it is going to be very, very difficult to establish beyond any reasonable doubt what went on and who was responsible for any particular wrongdoing," he added.
