There was more hot water for the government last night as Minister for Integration, Conor Lenihan, referred to Fine Gael TD Olwyn Enright as a ‘cock sucking crack whore’.

The exchange, which took place during last night’s debate to bring about the 2008 Mentallers on the Streets legislation, sparked outrage from opposition members with Michael Ring having to be forcibly restrained while shouting “I’m going to knock his ignorant bollocks out of his arse”.

Lenihan -'Ruddy faced buffoon", says RTE's Kathryn Thomas

Lenihan, who had just the previous day referred to immigrant TD Leo Vadaskywalker as a ‘fascist’, claimed to be only joking but was clearly seen crossing his fingers and making the ‘I’m so not joking’ sneer. With a long history of making race related faux pas the Dublin South Central TD could find himself disciplined by Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

A source said “This is the last thing we need. With everything else that’s going on to have to deal with something like this is very bad for the party’s image. We thought he’d learned his lesson after Kebabgate and the ‘We should ask for our Live Aid money back because those darkies have only gone and spent it on guns’ debacle but he’s a loose cannon. If you ask me he couldn’t integrate one smaller software system with a larger one, let alone an inferior race with the Irish.

It might just be best for all concerned if he were moved to a less important junior ministry, like health or education”.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny called for the immediate resignation of Lenihan calling his vocabulary ‘reprehensible, despicable yet somewhat arousing’.

Meanwhile, the legislation which caused the problem, was passed almost unanimously by the Dáil. The only dissenting voice was Kerry TD Jackie Healy-Rae who said “It’d be mighty crack to see a load of mentalists going round the place. They’d be trying to fly and everything. Can you imagine the laughs?”

Minister for Health Mary Harney said the Independent TDs views were ‘archaic’ and ‘typical of a flat cap wearing bogtrotter’.