Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has accused Enda Kenny of being “the most unaccountable taoiseach’’ in many years.

“He ducks and dives and avoids questions to an extraordinary degree, both in the House and publicly elsewhere,” said Micheál Martin. “I give him credit for managing the media well in terms of identifying the particular programmes he slinks into.’’

Mr Martin claimed the Taoiseach had “a particular penchant for the nine o’clock news, but he will not do the Six-One news, particularly when there is an inquiry report to be published . . . he might give the old newsreader 20 minutes to try to decipher a couple of hundred pages”.

Mr Martin said there would be less need for inquiries if questions were answered. “If questions were answered about IBRC write-downs, there would be less need for inquiries,” he added. “If questions had been answered about how the former Garda commissioner was forced out of office, there would have been no need for the Fennelly inquiry.”

Mr Martin asked why there was still a tendency in the Department of the Taoiseach, and across the Government, to hold on to information, refuse to share it and hide it for as long as possible.

Mr Kenny said he should do an analysis of Mr Martin’s record as a person who produced reports and never did anything about them.

when the Fennelly and Cregan reports came to him, he released them immediately after receiving authorisation from the sole member and a report from the Attorney General that they were not in conflict with any existing court case. Mr Kenny insisted it was not a case of holding on to information in his department.“We have had more referendums in the lifetime of this Government than any other,’’ he added.