Mr Joe Higgins was handcuffed, but there were no restrictions on the use of his vocal cords.

Mr Higgins placed the handcuffs on himself to illustrate the jailing of two building workers. When he continued to insist the matter be debated in the House, he was expelled from the chamber and the House was adjourned briefly.

Rising from his seat on the Independent benches, the Socialist Party TD for Dublin West demanded an emergency debate on the "jailing of two construction workers who were participating in a campaign against the black economy, tax evasion and the pressure that sees workers killed on building sites".

He said there was public anger at the treatment of the building workers which had contrasted "with the perceived leniency to others alleged to be involved in widespread tax evasion in the amount of tens of millions of pounds".

The Ceann Comhairle, Mr Seamus Pattison, ruled out an emergency debate, but there was no stopping Mr Higgins. He opposed a Government proposal not to have a Dail sitting next week, insisting it meet to have a debate on the black economy in the building industry.

Donning the handcuffs, Mr Higgins said that on Wednesday he had seen two workers being led away similarly handcuffed. Mr Pattison told him such a demonstration - wearing handcuffs - was against Dail rules.

Later, the Labour deputy leader, Mr Brendan Howlin, asked if the Government had any proposals to tackle the black economy in the building industry.

The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, said there was a black economy monitoring group which operated under the aegis of Partnership 2000.

The Government has no plans to introduce legislation to ban the practice of "gazumping" in the residential property market, the Minister for Public Enterprise told the House. Ms O'Rourke said the Bacon report had proposed a voluntary code, which had been drawn up in draft form. "More work is going on."