Journalists were asked to leave the Dail press gallery on Tuesday because of a "misunderstanding", the Ceann Comhairle, Mr Seamus Pattison, said.
Journalists had refused to leave when requested to do so by Oireachtas ushers during a five-minute suspension of the House. They cleared the public gallery and sought to clear the press gallery after the Leas Ceann Comhairle, Dr Rory O'Hanlon, suspended proceedings.
Yesterday Mr Pattison said it had been the long-established practice that the public gallery and the press gallery were cleared when the Dail was suspended in disorder, when a member who had been named refused to leave the House.
"Yesterday, due to a misunderstanding, the practice was initiated as it was thought Deputy Pat Rabbitte had been named and was refusing to leave, which was not the case. This is regretted and I am putting in place procedures to ensure that such a misunderstanding will not recur."
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan, said the press was entitled to report what was happening. The Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said the fourth estate had a constitutional right to observe Dail business.