Labour leader Pat Rabbitte has accused RTE of allowing the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell a political platform without any opposition participation.
Mr Rabbitte said he accepted an invitation yesterday to appear on last night's Prime Timetelevision programme to debate the current crime situation with the Minister.
But he said he was later advised by the programme that it had dropped him because Minister McDowell said that he would only appear on his own.
"This is the same Minister who yesterday challenged Fine Gael's Richard Bruton to a debate on the crime situation.
"Like so many of his recent comments, his statement made on Monday about wanting to debate the issue with the opposition has turned out to be yet more hypocritical bombast," Mr Rabbitte.
The Labour said RTE had allowed the Minister "dictate his own terms".
A spokeswoman for Prime Timesaid today the programme made its own decision on who appeared and no outsider dictated to it or exercised any veto.
She said: "It was not uncommon for interviewees from time to time to agree to be interviewed on their own and not to debate with someone else."
A spokesman for Mr McDowell told ireland.comthere was no question of the Minister insisting on anything regarding his appearance on Prime Time.
He said the Minister has said on several occasions said that he would debate the issue with Mr Rabbitte at any time in the Dáil.
