Labour has claimed that a senior state official has been "muzzled" by being prevented from attending an Oireachtas Committee to discuss the proposed route of the M3 motorway in Co Meath.
Mr Eamon Gilmore, Labour's environment spokesman, said: "The Director of the National Museum and other senior heritage officers were due to attend a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
"It has emerged however that the Director has been prevented from attending this important meeting by the Government. This is muzzling of a senior State official."
He said the Director, Dr Pat Wallace was prevented from attending this afternoon's meeting because of "the pre-determined agenda of the Government is to ram the new M3 right through the Hill of Tara."
Last night, Green Party Environment spokesperson Mr Ciarán Cuffe insisted that Minister for Sport, Art and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, explain why the Department's Secretary General asked the Director of the National Museum Dr Wallace not to appear before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Environment.
"It appears that pressure was applied to ensure that Dr Wallace would not appear before the Committee. Minister O'Donoghue should explain why his civil servants are attempting to gag one of the most foremost archaeologists in the country from giving his opinion on the impact of this motorway on the Hill of Tara, said Mr Cuffe.
"I was hoping to ask Dr Wallace to comment on the archaeological importance of the Tara-Skreen site and on the impact of the proposed motorway, but this opportunity has now been denied to myself and other members of the Committee. It seems ludicrous that a civil servant is applying pressure on Dr. Wallace not to appear," he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Vincent Salafia, press officer for the Save Tara/Skryne Valley group, said that 2,000 public submissions opposed to the proposed M3 motorway to the Oireacthas Committee had been "dismissed".
He told ireland.comthat when he contacted the Committee he was told the letters were still being looked at.
"What's the point in looking at the letters when the deadline [for full submissions] has passed and the hearings are over. It paints a very sinister picture," said Mr Salafia.
Mr Salafia was also skeptical of a survey conducted by the pro-M3 group, Meath Citizens for the M3, which claimed 90 per cent of the residents in the Tara/Skryne area were in favour of the motorway.
"If you read the letters page of the Meath Chronicle,you'll find most of the letters are against the proposed motorway. That's why we're calling for an independent survey," added Mr Salafia.