The Dáil had to be suspended earlier after a row in which one TD called the house "a kip".

Gino Kenny's comments came during a heated argument about plans to shelve his bill legalising medicinal cannabis.

The Oireachtas health committee says his bill has too many legal flaws and should be abandoned.

According to the committee report, the bill poses “major legal issues, unintended policy consequences and a lack of safeguards against harmful use of cannabis by patients.”

The bill would have decriminalised cannabis for medicinal use - but the Oireachtas Health Committee feared it would do the same for recreational use.

Deputy Kenny locked horns with the Ceann Comhairle, Sean Ó Fearghail who said: "It is beyond me why any member would want to be a member of a democratic institution that they consider a tip or a kip."

TD Gino Kenny said it was "horrendous" that he found out his bill on medicinal cannabis was being rejected on national radio.

He said it was a PR stunt by Fine Gael's Kate O'Connell to announce it on radio without telling him.

PBP TD Gino Kenny said it was unacceptable that he wasn't formally told his bill was being dumped.

"It shows a huge amount of disrespect from the committee and from Kate O’Connell that the findings of their report should be leaked on national radio like this," he said.