Fine Gael was accused by the Fianna Fail TD, Mr Martin Brady, yesterday of trying to raise the retirement age through a stealth campaign.
Mr Brady claimed the proposal from the Fine Gael TD, Mr Gay Mitchell, that the retirement age might be raised was "alarmist and ill informed".
Mr Mitchell said that because people now spent on average 20 years in retirement the Irish economy was not prepared for the associated costs. Mr Brady said: "This Government has already set aside billions of pounds in a special pension reserve fund to guarantee future pension costs."