Fine Gael councillors attending a party conference next week face being blocked from claiming expenses for the event.
Minster for the Environment Dick Roche this morning accused the party of "fraud" and threatened to use a ministerial order to prevent them claiming for the cost of attending the meeting.
It is a sleazy attempt to take funds out of the taxpayers' pocket and put into the coffers of Fine Gael
The conference, at which Fine Gael councillors will be briefed on handling the media and policy issues, will be held at the Hodson Bay Hotel in Co Roscommon between Thursday and Saturday of next week.
Mr Roche said if all Fine Gael's 290 councillors were to attend the three-day conference, it would cost local authorities in the region of €200,000 to €250,000.
Speaking on RTÉ radio, Mr Roche accepted that with an estimated 100 councillors expected to attend, full expenses would cost in the region of €50,000.
Mr Roche said if Fianna Fáil's public representatives attempt to claim expenses for the party's upcoming ard fheis there would be widespread condemnation. He said Fine Gael, which has campaigned strongly on what is says are rip-off prices in Ireland was guilty of "hypocrisy and arrogance".
"It is a sleazy attempt to take funds out of the taxpayers' pocket and put into the coffers of Fine Gael. It is completely undefensible [sic] any other political party caught with their hand in the till like this would be apologising," Mr Roche told Morning Ireland.
Successive local government ministers had warned about the practice of claiming expenses for party political events, he said, noting that some authorities had specific protocols.
He said the issue "brings the whole of local government into disrepute", and he threatened to use a ministerial order to prevent the expenses being paid.
Fine Gael has declined to comment.