A legal challenge over RTÉ's refusal to add the leader of the Green Party to tonight's political debate has been dismissed in the High Court.

Green leader Eamon Ryan was not invited to participate in the political debate because the party has no sitting TDs in the outgoing Dáil.

In a two-day hearing at the High Court last week the party argued that the RTÉ requirement to have at least three TDs was unfair, unlawful and an interference with democracy.

RTÉ denied the claims and said the leaders' debate was just one of many programmes covering the General Election.

Eamon Ryan says that the criteria for these debates needs to change to be more inclusive: