Fine Gael TD Tom Barry has issued a statement apologising for last night's 'lapgate' incident.
The Cork deputy was caught on camera, grabbing his constituency colleague Áine Collins and pulling her onto his lap for a cuddle. The footage has gone viral - watch it below.
Fine Gael insists the incident was silly but didn't involve any malice.
Deputy Barry's short statement reads, "What I did last night was disrespectful and inappropriate. I have apologised to Aine Collins and she graciously and immediately accepted my apology. No excuses, I just shouldn’t have done it."
This afternoon, senior Fine Gael ministers Richard Bruton and Frances Fitzgerald have given their reaction to the incident (below), calling it inappropriate:
Newstalk's Political correspondent Paraic Gallagher argues the all-night session has only served to give the government bad PR - with tired TDs performing below par:
