The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform denied that a series of requests for information by the family of Ms Sophie Toscan du Plantier into the investigation of her murder had been ignored.

Mr O'Donoghue said the Department of Justice had received a faxed copy of an international rogatory commission - "a request for mutual assistance in a criminal matter" - from the French authorities last April, at a time when the previous government was in power.

It was, he added, seeking "very sensitive material relating to the Garda investigation into the crime and also authority for French police to assist the Garda in the execution of the request. Clearly, it would be important not to prejudice the Garda investigation or any subsequent prosecution by the premature disclosure of information to third parties."

Mr O'Donoghue said that he expected to have legal advice on the "mutual assistance request" in the near future.

In May a copy of the same request was received in the Department through diplomatic channels and was sent to the Chief State Solicitor's office and the Attorney General's office for advice, which was the normal practice.

"It is not true, as has been suggested, that the request has been ignored or that no contact has been made with the French authorities," Mr O'Donoghue added. "The position is that the French authorities have, through the usual diplomatic channels which are used in such cases, been kept informed of developments."

He said he had been advised by the Garda that "a substantial file" had been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions for directions. While it was being actively considered, the Garda inquiries were continuing.

The Minister was replying to the Fine Gael spokesman on justice, Mr Jim Higgins, who said that the family's lawyer was extremely angry that a series of requests for information had been met with a wall of silence. Numerous requests for information had gone unanswered.

"For a country that is so proud to flaunt its success and sophistication in so many spheres of life we can be very intransigent, uncaring and indeed primitive in our official duties," said Mr Higgins.

He added that the Minister should immediately contact his French counterpart and convey through him to the Toscan du Plantier family an apology for the "insensitive and uncaring" manner in which the Department had dealt with the matter.