Controversial amendments to policing legislation, such as ex-prisoners being allowed to sit on district police partnership (DDP) boards, may be inserted in the Police Bill next week.
The Irish News understands that "there will be a decision taken next week about the so-called Sinn Féin clauses".
It is anticipated that the government will find a way of putting these amendments into the legislation with safeguards so that they will only be triggered if there are acts of completion by the paramilitaries.
Because the whole Hillsborough talks process dragged on longer than first thought, if the government does not do something about these amendments in the next couple of weeks there would be a problem which could mean having to table another bill.
The indications, therefore, are that to avoid such a legislative nightmare a move will be made soon, perhaps next week, to insert these amendments.
The most contentious amendment refers to permitting ex-prisoners sitting on DPPs.
District policing partnerships are currently being established across Northern Ireland. These consist of individual members and elected councillors who will meet regularly to establish policing priorities and help develop a local policing plan, as well as monitoring police performance.
The other amendment means turning Belfast's partnership sub-groups into four fully fledged DPPs.
The timetable for completion of the policing legislation is Easter.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Prime Minister Tony Blair are due in Northern Ireland sometime next month to publish the Irish and British governments' proposals put recently to the parties at Hillsborough.
No date has been pencilled in at this stage for the visit.
As a result of the war on Iraq, finding a suitable date for Mr Blair and Mr Ahern to visit the north of Ireland will be difficult but sources emphasised yesterday that "they are still committed to coming".
There have been a number of meetings taking place between the political parties here over the past week, but the situation is still described as work in hand.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, who has just returned from a St Patrick's week visit to the United States, is expected to have a meeting soon with Mr Ahern.
The Sinn Féin view is that significant progress was made in the Hillsborough discussions and there are areas still to be closed on particularly around the transfer of powers on policing and criminal justice, as well as general policing matters, demilitarisation and other issues.
"The focus in the time immediately ahead will be to close those gaps as speedily as possible. It is still work in progress," a Sinn Féin official said.
The Sinn Féin ard fheis is due to be held in Dublin at the end of next week and may provide a useful barometer as to whether this whole process is moving towards a successful conclusion.
This year's Ard Fheis will include live coverage by RTE of Mr Adams's speech and a section of debates.
A Sinn Féin official said: "Whatever about the politics of the Ard Fheis, the fact that RTE will carry several hours of the Ard Fheis debates as well as Gerry Adams's presidential address makes it unusual and, in its own way, historic. This has not happened before."
The filming of the Ard Fheis contrasts sharply with the old days when Sinn Féin was kept off the airwaves by Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act. It is also expected that although there will be a big focus on the Irish peace process at the Sinn Féin annual conference, the war in Iraq will provoke considerable debate.
