Mr Ian Paisley Jnr has raised allegations concerning the murdered solicitor, Pat Finucane, with the Chief Constable, writes Dan Keenan, Northern News Editor.
He has asked Mr Orde if he could confirm an investigation of allegations by a police informer that Mr Finucane was an IRA member and a conduit of information from prisoners in Crumlin Road jail to the IRA outside.
At yesterday's public session of the Policing Board, Mr Paisley also asked if Mr Orde thought that resources directed towards the Finucane case might be better directed towards closing the cases on the 26 soldiers, nine police officers and the 80 civilians who were murdered in the same year as Mr Finucane.
Mr Orde was reluctant to comment in detail as he said a number of files had been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. He further commented that it was impossible to say whether the resources directed towards the Finucane case would have netted better results had they been allocated towards other cases.
Afterwards, the Policing Board vice chairman, Mr Denis Bradley, said he believed it was unfortunate that the Mr Paisley's remarks had been made in the first place.
In response to other questions on the Stevens report into collusion with loyalist paramilitaries, Mr Orde said work on implementing its findings was ongoing.
"We have had a limited amount of time to look at the Stevens Three report and its 21 recommendations. We need to build all those recommendations into the other recommendations from the Crompton report [into Special Branch reform] . . . We need to make sure they mesh with the Patten report which we're currently driving forward.
"I need more time to make sure that all that work is joined together in an effective, structured way. I think what we're talking about here is a major review of how serious crime investigation . . . is undertaken."
Mr Orde added: "We have a fairly clear vision now as to how to drive it forward. I reckon I need another eight weeks to come up with a competent reply that deals with all the issues raised by Stevens."