DAIL SKETCH:THE MOOD was sombre, the subject tragic. Cabinet Ministers lined up beside the Taoiseach, more than the six or so backbenchers on the Government side.

The Opposition had a fuller, though still small turnout. Was everyone out canvassing for the elections?

But no, a vote was called later and TDs from both sides emerged in the chamber, as though from the woodwork.

It was the first occasion since the commission’s report on child abuse was published last week that both the Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny spoke on the issue.

Enda Kenny gave a lurid retelling of the abuse of Mary Brown – the name is a pseudonym – who was taken from her mother at birth.

Her mother was put in a mental hospital for 40 years and her daughter “had no birthdays, no school; she was beaten, savaged, raped, brutalised and she was a slave”.

Deputy Kenny offered the Taoiseach the “hand of political unity” to agree an all-party motion for the forthcoming debate on the report by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse.

Brian Cowen reiterated the State’s apology for the abuse that occurred.

He accepted that there should be an all-party motion and said he would seek a meeting with the religious congregations, pointing out that it was open to the religious orders to make a further contribution.

When Labour leader Eamon Gilmore spoke, he said they had to look at why this horrific abuse was allowed to happen.

When he highlighted the “unhealthy deferential relationship” between the State and the Catholic Church, he hit out at former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and his comments that people seeking to renegotiate the indemnity deal were “anti-clerical”.

Deputy Gilmore then singled out former education minister Dr Michael Woods, whom he said kept the attorney general out of the negotiations because “as he put it the legal people had fallen out with the religious”.

Dr Woods was not in the House but was obviously watching on a monitor because he arrived in the chamber as the Labour leader was speaking and when he finished, described the remarks as “scurrilous” and hotly rejected the remarks.

The attorney general was “never out of the loop”, he insisted.

The Ceann Comhairle intervened as Labour’s Emmet Stagg asked “is this a point of information”.

Dr Woods got his chance.

Flushed with annoyance, he said the attorney general was involved and insisted that the cabinet had “discussed thoroughly” a final memo on the deal.

“Crawthumper,” sneered Pat Rabbitte.