The solicitor representing the former presidential candidate Seán Gallagher has announced his intention to take legal proceedings against RTÉ.

In a statement issued this afternoon, Mr Paul Tweed said he was taking proceedings on Mr Gallagher’s behalf against the broadcaster on a number of grounds “including breach of their duty of care, negligence and breach of statutory duty.”

Mr Tweed said his client will be seeking a declaration from the court that the station’s Frontline Presidential Debate broadcast on 24th October 2011 was “unfair” and “seriously damaged” Mr Gallagher’s electoral prospects.

“My client believes that he has been left with no alternative but to seek the assistance of the Court, given RTÉ’s persistent refusal to offer any adequate or appropriate redress for what was the totally unacceptable conduct by them of the Frontline broadcast, and which has had dramatic and extremely serious consequences for my client,” Mr Tweed said in a statement.

“Furthermore, RTÉ had taken the extraordinary decision not to broadcast a corrective tweet received during the course of the debate from the Official Martin McGuinness Campaign Account, which would have set the record straight while the programme was still live on air.

“The recently published report arising from the internal review regarding the offending broadcast, and the publication of provocative comments by the programme’s presenter, have compounded my client’s resolve to seek appropriate redress in the High Court. Accordingly, these proceedings will be vigorously prosecuted in order to bring this matter to a conclusion, once and for all."