European MEP Ms Rosemary "Dana" Scallon has alleged there is an RTÉ policy document excluding her from participating in RTÉ programmes until after the Nice treaty referendum on June 7th.
Ms Scallon’s campaign manager Mr John Brown said a report of a meeting of the station’s Steering Group on Referenda singling the MEP out was brought to his attention yesterday.
The report allegedly appeared in RTÉ's internal Accessmagazine but Mr Brown said when he approached RTÉ for a copy none were available.Mr Brown said he had been told that Mr Peter Feeney secretary of the steering group said at a meeting allowing Ms Scallon on RTÉ programmes, even entertainment programmes, could leave the station open for criticism of unfair coverage.
Mr Brown said the MEP was "extremely surprised" by the report. "I haven’t got a clue why they would adopt this policy. As a public service broadcaster RTÉ is supposed to reflect all shades of opinion. As a policy statement I can’t see any reason for it," he said.
He said the move was "denying a voice" to the MEP's constituency and wondered whether Ms Scallon's appearance on the station would be any different to the Taoiseach appearing on The Late Late Show.
He said such a policy would be "very inappropriate and immature" and said people had asked him whether he thought it could be connected to Ms Scallon’s comments that RTÉ’s revenue from television licences should be revoked.
"We tried to speak to [Mr] Peter Feeney but he is on holidays until June 17th, after the referendum," he said.
RTÉ were unavailable to provide a spokesman.