Fianna Fail's Mr Batt O'Keeffe has criticised the Democratic Left leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, and his colleague Mr Pat Rabbitte for attending the Taoiseach's birthday party on Sunday in a "top Dublin restaurant".
Meanwhile Mr O'Keeffe's colleague, Mr Seamus Brennan, has claimed that Mr De Rossa "is running the Rainbow's tax policies and its Northern Ireland policies. The Taoiseach is only let out when Proinsias says so and Mr Bruton can't even celebrate his birthday without the DL parliamentary party in attendance".
Mr O'Keeffe accused DL of using poverty and long term unemployment "to score cheap political points, exploiting concerns for political gain".