The Taoiseach has clashed with Social Democrat TD Rory Hearne in the Dáil over housing policy, accusing him of offering " facile, superficial" solutions and setting himself up as an expert.
"Look, you just keep on shouting, deputy," Micheál Martin said when interrupted during Taoiseach's Questions.
"You keep coming forward with facile, superficial analyses of the housing crisis.
"You set yourself up as a housing expert - you're nothing of the sort."
Deputy Hearne criticised the appointment of NAMA boss Brendan McDonagh, who is set to head the Government's Strategic Housing Activation Office.
"Don't tell me to get out of it," Mr Hearne said, adding that Mr Martin can raise his eyes to heaven if he wants.
Mr Martin objected to personalising the issue and said no appointment has been confirmed.
Earlier, Minister for Housing James Browne said that the new Housing Activation Office will be led by an experienced CEO, however, the person expected to fill that role was not mentioned during a Cabinet meeting this morning.
A memo to establish the Strategic Housing Activation Office was brought before the Cabinet, which met earlier.
Mr McDonagh is set to head up the new office, but there has already been much controversy over a possible salary in the order of €430,000.
Senior figures within Government have indicated that these details will have to be teased out further in the coming days.
Salary proposed for housing czar 'outrageous' - McDonald
Earlier, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the €430,000 salary proposed is outrageous and an astonishing amount of taxpayers' money for just one person.
Ms McDonald told the Dáil that the money is a kick in the teeth for those saving every spare cent to buy a house.
She added that this was a very "expensive job share" given that the new role is about removing roadblocks to construction and getting homes built, which is the job of the minister for housing.
"Clearly, your Government have no confidence in Minister James Browne to do his job," she said.
Mr Martin said he could not disagree more and added that no decision has been taken as to who will head up the new Housing Activation Office.
But he said it would be a secondment from within the public service and there would be no increase on their current salary.
The establishment of a Housing Activation Office was promised in the Programme for Government and he would make no apology for it, he said.
The Taoiseach called on Sinn Féin to drop its "serial opposition" to the building of homes, saying the party leader had objected to over 1,000 homes in her own constituency.
He said that 6,000 homes were built in the first three months of the year, which was the second highest ever delivery in the first quarter of a year.
The minister told colleagues that the Activation Office will do what it says on the tin.
"It will have the ability to seek out obstacles to growth, the agility to troubleshoot and ensure smoother delivery," Mr Browne said.
"In a nutshell it's a dedicated, expert team focused on activating sites and getting shovels moving where they are stalled."
Mr Browne added that the new team would be led by an experienced CEO who would pull together stockholders, including local authorities, utility and infrastructure providers, and industry to get infrastructure delays moving.
The setting up of the office could be discussed again at the Cabinet Committee on Housing, which meets on Thursday.
Concern over salary understandable - Taoiseach
Mr Martin had said he understands the public concern about a possible salary of €430,000 for the head of the unit that is aiming to speed up the construction of homes.
He said the office would be a strategic one to focus exclusively on moving roadblocks that are preventing the delivery of homes.
Mr Hearne has written to Mr Browne to express concern over the proposed appointment of Mr McDonagh as the Government's new housing 'czar'.
Mr Hearne said he had reminded the minister that Mr McDonagh's main role in NAMA was overseeing the fire sale of assets and this resulted in the eviction of thousands of people into homelessness through its receivers arranging vacant possession for the sale of rental properties.
"How is it appropriate that an individual who played a key role in adding to the housing crisis is now to be given responsibility for fixing it?
"In addition, at a time when the Government is postponing the introduction of a living wage, it is outrageous that it should create a gold-plated position with a salary package worth almost half a million euro," he said.
Independent Ireland TD Ken O'Flynn said the appointment of the former CEO of NAMA as the head of the Housing Activation Office, amounts to nothing more than a deflection from a far more urgent debate on the main barriers to housing delivery.
The TD for Cork North-Central also fears the Housing Activation Office will have an an over-emphasis on foreign investment and vulture funds in the Irish housing market.
