The Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr Dick Roche, has been accused of going "over the top" in his reaction to comments by the Green Party following the publication of draft constitutional documents by the Convention on the Future of Europe.
The Minister alleged that the Green Party TD Mr John Gormley had not read the first document circulated on Monday "in any detail" before giving his reaction to it.
"The statements contained in Deputy Gormley's press release are untruthful and inaccurate," Mr Roche said, adding that the Green Party TD was "deliberately guilty of misleading the Irish people".
Responding yesterday, Mr Gormley said the Minister of State's comments were "over the top" and extremely regrettable. "At no stage have I been untruthful or in any way misleading."
He added: "The fact is that the current draft proposals represent a shift of power to the council and an erosion of the power of smaller states. What makes Mr Roche's intervention most disappointing is the fact that I have, at all times, been very supportive of him and the Government in the Convention."