Labour leader Alan Kelly has queried what changed to make Taoiseach Micheál Martin sack Barry Cowen as agriculture minister.
He said the story has now moved on from Mr Cowen to what Mr Martin knew, and when.
He told The Hard Shoulder: "If the Taoiseach felt that the issues were so severe that this was necessitated, the information - what he was aware of or conscious of - that could have been an issue on the 3rd of July were the same as they are yesterday.
"So what has changed in between?"
"Obviously as regards the running of a Government for this to be ongoing and to take clear and decisive action it was the right thing to do.
"However it is still questionable as to what has changed?".
He added: "The reality is the Taoiseach has set a record as regards getting rid of a minister: 17 days in office.
"And ultimately I think the story has moved on a bit from him in that it's how the Taoiseach has handled this situation.
"What was revealed on the 3rd of July and what we know now to the public are different, but to the Taoiseach they're not really.
"So what has changed?
"And I think the executive summary is it became damaging to the Taoiseach and damaging for Fianna Fáil, in his view, and that's why he has got rid of former Minister Cowen.
"The information that he was in some way, at some level, aware of or conscious that may exist hasn't changed hugely or dramatically as was outlined in the Dáil today.
"But I raised a whole range of other issues in relation to what has transpired relating to we don't know what the actual report that the Taoiseach got from former Minister Cowen, we don't know was it a Pulse form, was it a Garda report?
"I pointed out that there was a thing called a Subject Access Request Form, where you look for your data from An Garda Síochána - but you don't get a print off of a file from the Pulse system."
"So we need to know what was given out, we need to know the process by which this file was accessed, etc.
"All of the issues in relation to that need to be looked at.
"And I also really want to know where the Minister for Justice is here?
"As the story is moving on from Deputy Cowen, there's a GSOC inquiry and there's a data protection inquiry separate for Deputy Cowen himself.
"And I actually have sympathy for Barry Cowen in relation to this: the fact that his information was put out there like that does need to be dealt with.
"But the Minister for Justice basically hasn't commented on this".
"The way in which this information has been put out into the public domain, and subsequently now the way in which other information has been put out there leaves a lot of questions."
Main image: Labour Party leader Alan Kelly speaking to the media on the plinth at Leinster House . Picture by: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie
