The Minister for Justice says he is taking legal advice after the French authorities sought more help investigating the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.

Alan Shatter says police in France want extra help from gardai over the murder in 1996.

But the Minister says he is not sure whether he can help the French because of the legal questions over the Ian Bailey tapes.

Lawyers for Mr. Bailey said earlier this month they had received 12 boxes of documents and 130 tapes of recorded conversations revealing an 'extraordinary' level of communication between gardai and the media.

The former journalist is suing the garda authorities for damages over their investigation into the murder of the French film-maker in Schull, west Cork in 1996.

His barrister Martin Giblin SC told the High Court earlier this month that they were processing the information which they received.