Fine Gael has claimed that the timing of the payment of pension increases is an election stunt.
Fine Gael’s Mr Brian Hayes said Fianna Fáil timed the new social welfare payments and other increases from the last Budget to coincide with possible general election dates in the first half of this year.
The allegations have been dismissed by the Department of Social Community and Family Affairs today.
"It's not the only example," Mr Hayes told ireland.com. "There will be a backdated child benefit payment and I understand backdated payments under the tax code will both be made in April.
"Surprise, surprise, we have all these backdated payments in an election year," the Fine Gael spokesman on Social Community and Family Affairs said.
Traditionally, increased social welfare payments took effect six months after being announced in the Budget but last year the payments were brought forward to April.
With the harmonisation of the calendar year and the tax year from 2002, the Department decided payments should be made from the first week in January.
"Once again the Government’s priorities are as plain as the nose on your face - leave a chance to run to the country while half a million people, some of the poorest in the country, are deprived of their increase until mid-February," Mr Hayes said.
While 275,00 recipients of temporary payments like unemployment payments and disability benefit received their increases this week, over 600,000 people in receipt of pension and other permanent payments will not be paid until mid-February.
Payments such as pensions are made through a book of payable orders. A Department spokeswoman said today that it would not be logistically possible to distribute the two million books containing 40 million vouchers by the start of January - four weeks after the announced increase.
The Department have set up a freephone to deal with queries: 1800-690590.