Taoiseach Enda Kenny has dismissed out of hand an accusation by a Fine Gael backbench TD that he is attempting to damage his reputation.

Seán Conlan made the allegation against the Taoiseach on Tuesday after it emerged the Cavan-Monaghan Deputy had been involved in a dispute with an English-based jeweller over payment for a €10,000 diamond ring.

Mr Conlan had claimed an email written by the jeweller Freya Hart complaining she had received no payment from Mr Conlan for the ring was received by only two figures in Government, Mr Kenny and another senior Minister, who is understood to be Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys.

But yesterday, Mr Kenny’s spokesman dismissed as unfounded Mr Conlan’s claim somebody close to the Taoiseach or to the Minister was responsible for leaking the email to the press.Using unusually direct language, the spokesman described Mr Conlan’s claims as “wide of the mark and complete nonsense”.

Mr Conlan's girlfriend, Sarah Comiskey, and her father had spotted the ring at a stall while on holiday in England during the summer.

In an email written to Mr Conlan Ms Hart had said the understanding was that Mr Conlan would take the ring back to Ireland and send payment from there. She claimed that despite repeated attempts to contact him she had yet to receive the payment.

It was at this juncture she sent emails to Mr Kenny, the other Minister and a number of other people.

Mr Conlan returned the ring to Ms Hart. He said he had taken it to Ireland to appraise it and a misunderstanding had arisen with Ms Hart because of a breakdown of communications. However, while he maintained the email was sent only to Mr Kenny and another Minister, it is understood the email was sent to other parties as well by Ms Hart.

Contacted by The Irish Times yesterday, Ms Hart said: "The matter is resolved – totally satisfactorily between Seán [Conlan] and myself. I have no further comments to make."

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin yesterday described as "sinister'' the manner in which the email had been leaked.

“There are details on the front of a newspaper but where did they come from?’’ he asked the Dáil. “How did that get into the public domain ?’’

Mr Kenny said he rejected any assertion of the deliberate leaking of any information from his department.

When Mr Martin, who said it was a serious matter, raised the issue on the Order of Business in the Dáil, he was ruled out of order by Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett.

"It may be a serious matter, but it is not appropriate to the Order of Business,'' said Mr Barrett.

Mr Martin said there should be an inquiry as people wanted to be able to write to the Taoiseach’s office with some degree of certainty the issues would be confidential.

“I did not know Deputy Martin had become a private investigator,’’ said Mr Kenny.