Fianna Fβil is operating a "dirty tricks department" from which "malicious, vicious and personalised" attacks on Opposition deputies are "centrally scripted", it was claimed in the Dβil.

Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan, said there had been a pattern emerging since the summer of such vicious and personalised attacks "from the Cabinet down" on Opposition TDs who proposed private members' debates.

The Tβnaiste, Ms Harney, said, however, that was the first she had heard of it and in the past two weeks some of the most vicious comments had been directed against her and Minister of State, Liz O'Donnell. Deputies had to separate out personal innuendo from robust debate about policy positions, however vicious those comments were.

Mr Noonan raised the issue during a tense Order of Business debate on the row surrounding Independent Deputy Tom Gildea's accusations against former Minister for Justice, Mrs Nora Owen.

The Fine Gael leader did not believe Deputy Gildea's contribution "was all his own work". He told the Tβnaiste, who was leading the Order of Business, that the pattern of such attacks had become "standard practice" for her companions in Government.

He said there was a pattern of Fianna Fβil backbenchers making "personalised comments on the record of the House about deputies on this side of the House, sometimes about their private lives".

He said this had happened during Mr Charles Haughey's time as Taoiseach and he suggested there was a dirty tricks department in operation which had "centrally scripted" the attacks.

The Minister for Education, Dr Woods said: "Come off it. The Deputy has really lost it." Ms Harney said it was the first she had heard of people's private lives being discussed in the chamber. She said privacy was sacrosanct and not only TDs but public figures generally were entitled to their private lives.