Minister for Justice Michael McDowell was accused of attempting to "dig dirt" and get damaging information about a previous minister for justice.
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said he had received a "contemptuous" and "disrespectful" reply from the Minister to a written parliamentary question in which Mr Rabbitte had asked about the Minister's meetings with a private investigator.
The Labour leader said that Mr McDowell in his capacity as Minister, "met a private detective to dig dirt on the previous minister for justice, equality and law reform".
Mr Rabbitte said that he had submitted four detailed questions about a meeting the Minister had with a private investigator in Co Meath on June 20th, 2005.
But in reply to all questions the Minister merely stated: "I can confirm to the Deputy that I have met and spoken to the person concerned on a number of occasions".
Mr Rabbitte described the reply as "contemptuous of the House and disrespectful of the Dáil", and typical of the Minister's "arrogance".
In his questions Mr Rabbitte asked why departmental staff were not at the meeting and if any documents received touched on issues of relevance to the Morris tribunal.
He also asked if any documentation supplied to the Minister was in his possession or that of the department and if he had asked the Morris tribunal before the meeting whether the private investigator involved was likely to be recalled as a witness at the tribunal.
During the Order of Business he asked the Ceann Comhairle what redress he had "when I put down a legitimate question to the Minister for Justice, detailing the matters I want answered and receive a reply as contemptuous as this".
When he was told there were other ways to raise the issue such as the adjournment, Mr Rabbitte said the Minister "will send in a junior minister with four scripts for the four matters raised and they will read out the answers without even knowing the subject matter of what they are reading".
