Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has rejected suggestions that part of the 0.6% levy on private pensions is not going towards its intended outcome for job creation.
Mr Gilmore said the levy was temporary and was it was intended that all of it would go towards the jobs initiative.
Fianna Fáil's Éamon Ó Cuív claimed that the Minister for Finance, had said that only half of the proceeds would now go towards job creation.
He called on the Government to return the money to pensioners as he said it was taken under false pretences.
The Tánaiste rejected this and claimed that the Government's jobs initiative is working as emphasised by yesterday's Live Register figures which he said showed the biggest drop in unemployment since the economic crisis began.
Mr Ó Cuív pointed out that the Live Register records a drop every September.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald has accused the Government of developing a strategy that targets people on welfare while delivering rhetoric over the wind down of Anglo Irish Bank.
Deputy McDonald said €925,000 in bonuses was being paid out to executives at Anglo arising from the period before nationalisation.
She said one bonus of €51,000 was still outstanding and asked the Tánaiste what the Government intended to do about it.
Mr Gilmore said the bonuses had been contractually committed to before nationalisation and said there were huge changes in senior personnel at the bank as well as the replacement of the entire board.
He rejected suggestions that the Government was targeting people on welfare and cited a raft of Government measures, such as the reverse in the minimum wage.
He accused Deputy McDonald of grandstanding and said the Government would not stand over the "featherbedding" of anyone.
Mr Gilmore said the deputy could be assured that the Government would act fairly and proportionately.
