Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald has accused the Labour Minister for Education of sexism during heated Dáil exchanges on Alan Shatter’s resignation.

Speaking in the Dáil today, Ruairí Quinn said he never ceased to be amazed at the warm affection and “motherly concern’’ Ms McDonald expressed for the well being and future of the Labour party. “I cherish it deeply and know that we are well liked and minded by you…and that if we ever begin to go somewhat astray, you will, in a careful way, look after us,’’ he added.

Ms McDonald said Mr Quinn’s reference to her as motherly, “to the cackles of your almost exclusively male audience’’, did not go down well with her or mothers who might be watching the proceedings. “I do not appreciate the tone of that remark,’’ she added.

She said that she knew “a sexist undertone’’ when she heard it.

Earlier, Ms McDonald said Mr Shatter had accepted no responsibility for what had gone wrong under his remit. “But, then, why should he, when the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste and the Cabinet, and the backbenchers of Fine Gael and Labour, have defended his actions in this Dáil and in the media ?,’’ she added.

She said the House was being told that Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore had known about Mr Shatter’s resignation in mid-afternoon. “He certainly did not know about it at lunchtime and your colleague, Joan Burton, did not know about these matters early yesterday morning because she was on the airwaves, reiterating her confidence in Alan Shatter,’’ she added.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said it was surprising that Mr Gilmore was defending Mr Shatter, even at lunchtime yesterday. This was against a background of the Taoiseach’s office receiving the Guerin report on Tuesday evening, he added.

Mr Quinn said all he knew was that the Tánaiste had been informed of the resignation in mid-afternoon yesterday. Only the Tánaiste could give a precise answer, he added.