A former Government minister was suspended from the Dβil after repeated attempts to raise the killings of prisoners in Afghan compounds.

Mr Michael D Higgins (Lab, Galway West) condemned the Government as a member of the UN Security Council, for its failure to seek an inquiry into what he described as an "outrageous breach" of the Geneva Convention.

In a heated address, when he was ruled out of order on the issue, he said: "What is not in order is taking shoes and gold teeth fillings from prisoners who are being slaughtered. It is not in order to have 160 prisoners slaughtered on the side of the road."

Mr Higgins had called for the early introduction of legislation on the International Criminal Court.

He said it was "necessary in view of the disgraceful breach of the Geneva Convention by the slaughter of several hundred prisoners in the full gaze of members of the Northern Alliance, with no statement from the UN Security Council".

The Tβnaiste, Ms Harney, told Mr Higgins the Minister for Foreign Affairs was in Rome yesterday and would be at a meeting today of the British-Irish Council.

However, he would be dealing with Department Estimates next week and the issue should be discussed in that forum, she said.

An outraged Mr Higgins said: "I would be ashamed to be a Member of this House if it decided it could wait for another week to 10 days for the Geneva Convention to be respected in relation to the safety of prisoners."

He said UN member states had put Ireland on the Security Council and it had not even sought an investigation into what had gone on.

When he was told he should resume his seat or leave the House, Mr Higgins said "the Ceann Comhairle will not have to ask me to leave this House. I will leave for my own sake".