Minister of State Tim O'Malley should resign over remarks he made about mental health waiting lists for children, the Dail was told tonight.
The Limerick East TD claimed on RTE's Prime Timeprogramme that consultants took pride in long waiting lists to give themselves a sense of power.
Opposition leaders Enda Kenny and Pat Rabbitte tonight rounded on Mr O'Malley's remarks and called on the Taoiseach to call for his resignation.
During Leaders' Questions Fine Gael leader Mr Kenny said the junior minister's "callous and heartless" remarks were unacceptable and displayed his lack of knowledge of the issue.
Labour Party leader Mr Rabbitte said Mr O'Malley was "manifestly incapable of doing his job" and also called for the Taoiseach to request his resignation.
Bertie Ahern said that record levels of resources were being spent on psychiatric services for children and it was unhelpful to personalise the issue.
When questioned about waiting lists for children's psychiatric assessment on Prime Time, Mr O'Malley said: "Some people, let's say, like having long waiting lists. It makes them feel very powerful if they have 100 or 200 people waiting."
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) angrily rejected the suggestions that consultants were keeping waiting lists high.