The Dáil was suspended for a total of 25 minutes tonight after a Fine Gael TD refused to leave the chamber after being suspended for gross disorder.
Ceann Comhairle Rory O'Hanlon ruled Cork North Central TD Bernard Allen out of order and asked him to leave the House.
Mr Allen had repeatedly interrupted the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern during Leaders' Questions.
Mr Ahern was replying to Opposition questions on the shortage of oncologists in the south of the country.
Dr Seamus O'Reilly, who is based at Cork University Hospital claimed in a daily newspaper yesterday that a population of 580,356 had access to just one permanent medical oncologist.
Mr O'Hanlon adjourned the Dáil for five minutes but Mr Allen was still present in the chamber. The Ceann Comhairle suspended the House again for two periods of 10 minutes each when Mr Allen refused to leave the chamber.
Cork Labour TD Kathleen Lynch was also suspended after she continued to raise the issue and the Dáil was adjourned for a further five minutes. Cork South Central TD for the Green Party, Dan Boyle took up the issue when the Dáil resumed after its fourth adjournment.
Like the previous Cork TDs, Mr Boyle refused to take his seat and was ruled out of order by Mr O'Hanlon but was not suspended.
Greens leader Trevor Sargent accused Mr O'Hanlon of being discourteous towards his party colleague, who voluntarily left the chamber.
Labour TD Emmet Stagg also accused the Ceann Comhairle of instructing his staff to evacuate the press gallery while the issue was being debated, but Mr O'Hanlon denied this.
Earlier, Mr Ahern told the Dáil that 11 extra consultants and €80 million funding had been made available to the southern regions since the implementation of the National Cancer Strategy in 1997.
He added that work will begin in mid-2006 on a new €47 million oncology, cardiac and renal centre in Cork University Hospital which will include a dedicated 30-bed oncology ward.
A 10-bed medical oncology ward within CUH is also being planned. Mr Ahern also said that the national roll-out of the Breast-Check programme would begin in 2007.