Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy told Varadkar he “really doesn’t know what he’s talking about” when it comes to the prospects for young people in Ireland.
Rents in Ireland are 88 per cent higher than the EU average, she elaborated, and young people were "angered" and "stunned" by his previous "ill-informed" remarks that the grass is not always greener overseas.
Mr Varadkar insisted some metrics are going in the right direction, with over 2,000 mortgage approvals given in the past month. He added he wishes for the Housing for All scheme to be implemented more quickly and that it is the Taoiseach’s responsibility to coordinate the Government's response.
Read more: Renters paying €2k more per year as rents in Dublin rise more than 14% in 12 months
Ms Murphy pointed to a recent reduction in mortgage approvals and said she expected "quite a lot of people" who have lost hope will attend the Raise the Roof protest in Dublin this weekend.
Ireland is one of the top ten countries in the world, Mr Varadkar said. However, he said that he is aware that "we compare unfavourably with most other European capital cities, perhaps all" in terms of rent.
Rents in Ireland are "extremely high and unacceptably high", he added.
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