A review of the 35-year policy of not giving reasons for decisions not to prosecute will be published this summer, according to Director of Public Prosecutions James Hamilton.
Speaking at a major law conference in Dublin this afternoon, the DPP said the provision to victims of reasons for prosecutions not going ahead must be considered carefully and gradually.
Mr Hamilton told the ninth annual national prosecutors conference at Dublin Castle that his inclination remains that a change in policy should be implemented.
A review announced in January invited submissions from interested parties on how this could be done without infringing the rights of accused people and witnesses.
Mr Hamilton said today that the report would be published within the next three months.
The policy of not giving reasons not to prosecute, especially in high-profile cases or those involving violence and death, has frequently been criticised by victims and their families, as well as by politicians and commentators.
But Mr Hamilton defended the work of his lawyers."The reality is that in the vast majority of cases the decision not to prosecute is based on the fact that the Office has decided that the available evidence is not such that a case could be properly proved to the very high standard required in criminal cases, namely, proof beyond a reasonable doubt," he said.
The DPP said Ireland was one of the few prosecution authorities which has given a public undertaking to review decisions on the request of interested parties.
Mr Hamilton told delegates when the Reasons Project was opened to public consultation earlier this year, the overwhelming majority of the submissions received were in favour of giving reasons in some form or other.
"Most submissions recognised the primacy of the interests of victims and their families in knowing reasons," he said.
Mr Hamilton maintained his office was also committed to improving communications with victims, which is currently done through gardaí.