A Labour senator has called for an Oireachtas dress code to be introduced following the general election due to the “unprofessional” attire of some deputies.

Senator Lorraine Higgins said it was “unacceptable that members of Dáil and Seanad Éireann would enter the chambers of our national parliament dressed in unsuitable attire”.

“In 2011, the Oireachtas Committee on Procedures and Privileges drafted a proposal requesting TDs and Senators wear ‘appropriate business attire’ in their function as legislators. This has clearly not been heeded and a small cohort of deputies continue to dress in an unprofessional manner, unbefitting of our national parliament.

“I am calling today on the Taoiseach and Ceann Comhairle to meet prior to the formation of the next Dáil with a view to agreeing a set of rules governing the standards of dress acceptable so that incumbent members of the Oireachtas know what to expect.”

“I have always taken my position as a member of Seanad Éireann very seriously and likewise have treated the office I am honoured to hold with the dignity and respect it deserves.

“The same is true for the majority of Oireachtas members however some feel the need to stand out in the fashion of a mid-life sartorial crisis and this, in my opinion, is unbecoming of national parliamentarians and is a blatant show of disrespect to the public,” Ms Higgins said.

Ms Higgins is a Dáil candidate for Galway East.

The introduction of a dress code has been proposed a number of times in recent years but has never come to pass.

In 2011, TD Richard Boyd Barrett said the idea was “pathetic” and “showed we have a Government of clowns” while often pink-shirted Mick Wallace was “flabbergasted” by the suggestion.