The Government has considered the final report of the Oireachtas Committee which examined the Dublin/Monaghan bombings.
As a result, it has agreed to establish a commission of inquiry to examine the garda investigation and the missing documentation issue.
The Government will also pursue with the British government a Weston Park-style inquiry into the bombings.
The terms of reference of the commission will be considered by the Cabinet in September.
In a statement reacting to the Government's decision, the Justice for the Forgotten group said the bereaved families and survivors have long since rejected the option of a private inquiry.
The statement said the group had never envisaged that any inquiry would be behind closed doors and immune to public scrutiny.
Margaret Irwin, a spokesperson for the group called on the Government to rescind its decision to establish a private commission.
She also said, in their forthcoming talks on the peace process, they should gain agreement from the British government to establish a joint public tribunal of inquiry into the bombings.
