The Dail is to hold a special debate on race relations following opposition demands that the Taoiseach instruct one of his backbenchers to withdraw remarks about asylum-seekers.

Mr Ahern came under repeated pressure yesterday to have the Dublin North Central TD, Mr Ivor Callely, make a statement to the House withdrawing comments made in an interview with The Irish Times on Wednesday.

The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, said it was important for the House not to send an ambiguous signal regarding its abhorrence of racial discrimination.

The Taoiseach agreed to the proposal, adding that it was always open under standing orders for a member to make a personal statement to the House.

Mr Ahern said there was a growing tendency for difficulties to arise at community level over the issue. "I can understand the tensions, but not the comments or some of the slogans or the data that have been written."

In his interview with The Irish Times Mr Callely said that "rogue" asylum-seekers should be "kicked out" of Ireland, and that it was "time to call a halt" to the spending of £50 million of taxpayers' money on asylum-seekers.

"Spending on this has gone out of control. This is a misuse of funds," Mr Callely added.

Mr Callely remained silent throughout yesterday's heated exchanges. But he told the Dail on Wednesday night that he was "dismayed at the manner in which a leading national newspaper presented my views on this issue in an unfair and untrue manner."

Mr Bruton said that a useful basis for a debate might be a resolution, agreed by all parties, abhorring race discrimination of any kind.

The leader of Democratic Left, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, said it should be investigated whether Mr Callely could be prosecuted under the Incitement to Hatred Act, adding that the deputy's remarks were "racist."

The Ceann Comhairle, Mr Seamus Pattison, said that the House was not a court of law.

The Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, asked if it was the Taoiseach's intention to provide Government time so that Mr Callely could make a statement withdrawing "the apparently illegal statements which could be construed to be an offence under the Incitement to Hatred Act."

The Fine Gael spokesman on justice, Mr Jim Higgins, said that far from withdrawing the remarks, or expressing regret, Mr Callely had repeated the "slur" when he spoke in the Dail during the Estimates debate on Wednesday night.

Mr Gay Mitchell (FG, Dublin South Central) said that given that there were 800,000 Irish-born people living in Britain, "we should be the last ones to bring up an issue of this kind."

Mr John Gormley (Green Party, Dublin South East) said that the Taoiseach should speak to Mr Callely and ask him to withdraw the remarks.

Speaking during the Estimates' debate on Wednesday night, Mr Callely said: "I support our international obligations, including adherence to the 1951 convention, and am proud of Ireland's humanitarian understanding and accommodation of genuine refugees.

"However, it is wrong that it takes over two years to process applications by asylum-seekers for refugee status. A mechanism must be provided to ensure the necessary supports for genuine refugees.

"I am dismayed at the manner in which a leading national newspaper presented my views on this issue in an unfair and untrue manner. It attributed views to me which are incorrect.

"By contrast, Jerome Reilly's article in the Irish Independent of Tuesday, November 25th, was fair and balanced. It arose from a press release where I called for a halt to the misuse of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money on asylum-seekers.

"I issued the press release following receipt of a report from the Eastern Health Board indicating that it takes over two years to process an asylum application. It stated Ireland is the only European country experiencing a continuing increase in the number of asylum-seekers and went on to say that in 1997 the proportion of asylum-seekers here will be higher than that in most European countries.

"We must ensure that genuine refugees obtain appropriate support. However, it is unfair that large numbers of asylum-seekers - over 3,000 - who may not be genuine, and who are probably attracted to Ireland because of its welfare state, are enjoying its welfare provisions, including supplementary welfare benefits and medical cards . . .

"I ask those deputies who hypocritically criticised my statement this morning - one or two of them in the Chamber - to be honest and acknowledge that my request is reasonable."

Paul Cullen, having checked his notes taken at the time of the interview with Mr Callely, stands over the published report of the interview.