Legislation to allow the Government to suspend or dissolve a tribunal of inquiry should not be restored to the Dáil's order paper because it might be seen "as a sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the tribunals".
Labour's finance spokeswoman Joan Burton claimed that restoring the Tribunal of Inquiries Bill 2005 to the order paper would "send out all the wrong messages to the public", who would "rightly ask why the Bill is being taken now at a time when the Taoiseach is about to give evidence before the Mahon tribunal".
Ms Burton claimed the Bill might also be seen as "an attempt to influence or even intimidate the tribunals and those working for them".
She raised the issue as the Dáil moved to restore to the order paper all Bills that automatically fell when the election was called.
The Labour TD said the Bill must also be seen against repeated complaints by the Taoiseach and his supporters of unfair treatment at the hands of the tribunal.
Last year Fianna Fáil ministers made unfounded allegations that the tribunal was involved in leaking documents relating to the Taoiseach's finances to The Irish Times, she said.
Some people might also see the restoration of the Bill at this point as an attempt to influence or even intimidate the tribunal and those working for them and that the Bill will be seen as "a sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the tribunals", in the proper conduct of their business, "regardless of how exalted the personages appearing before them".
Sinn Féin's Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said legislation should not be introduced "that would hinder the work of tribunals in terms of limiting their abilities to uncover the truth".
The amendment was rejected by 77 votes to 69 and the legislation was restored to the order paper.
