Mr Liam Cosgrave (FG), Leas Cathaoirleach, challenged the way he had been treated in terms of party inquiries when contrasted with the way a "certain cheque" issue had been handled.
Speaking in the second stage debate on the Standards in Public Office Bill, he said he supposed it was topical in the light of recent developments where legal proceedings had collapsed.
He was sure the Taoiseach was well able to paddle his own canoe, but in matters of this kind it should not be just the case of proceedings being withdrawn.
If a member of the Oireachtas or a public servant was to have to face the full rigour of the proposed law, someone who brought "a potential damning situation" on a serving politician or a public servant should be open to the same sanction where appropriate.
Mr Cosgrave said his party colleague, Mr Joe Doyle, had spoken about trying to undo unwarranted damage to a person's good character as being akin to attempting to gather up feathers scattered from a bag in a wind.
"As someone who has, shall we say, skirmished in that area over the last 12 months following a certain line of inquiry conducted by so-called people who felt that they could act as judge and jury, and the same people subsequently when it came to certain other actions or omissions, or where a certain cheque was being played hide-and-go-seek by, or was sent on a world tour like a homing pigeon, we are not quite as forthcoming with tremendous answers and the truth."
It was important that the Minister of State at the Department of Finance should recognise that if one started casting stones one should make sure that one's own cupboard had been examined first.
Mr Michael Finneran (FF) said that practically all the politicians he had met during his years in public service had observed the highest standards. But unfortunately there would always be the few who undermined the system.