The Coroner made the order after it emerged during an inquest in Derry that an Ombudsman's report into a fatal road crash almost three years ago was only a draft report and not a final report.

The inquest into the death of Noel Christopher Doherty (23), from Drumleck Drive in the Shantallow area of Derry, who died on January 22, 2006 after the car which he was driving crashed into a tree while he was being followed by a police car, was adjourned and is now not expected to resume until early next year.

A senior investigator at the Ombudsman's office, Paul Holmes, when questioned by the Coroner, said his office only provided coroners with draft reports and that final reports were only presented after all legal proceedings had ended.

Mr. Holmes said that the draft report before the Coroner had not been sent to the Chief Constable, nor to the Secretary of State or Policing Board.

Mr. Leckey said he always believed that only final reports from the Ombudsman were presented to Coroners and he said this development could have ramifications for many other inquests involving the Ombudsman's office.

He said: "There is an important matter of principle and that is if the Ombudsman wears the hat of the police in investigating a death, their duty may be to report that to the Secretary of State, but there is no less duty for the Coroner not to receive a final report into the investigation and I do not accept that myself or any other Coroner should be treated less favourably than the Secretary of State.

"Neither the Chief Constable, the Secretary of State nor the Policing Board has received this draft report. Why was this not made clear? This report, which I believed to be final, was sent to me in July 2007. Why was it not made clear to me that it was only a draft report?" he asked.

"I want to know chapter and verse about this by November 1", he added.