Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe has called on Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin to explain what voters can expect if they vote for the Opposition party in the upcoming General Election.

The Fine Gael Minister said prominent Fianna Fáil TDs had publicly disagreed with their party leader’s views on coalition options.

“I think it’s now very important that Michael Martin come out, that he make very clear to the Irish people that if they do vote for Fianna Fáil in the next Dáil what would they be getting alongside that,” he said.

“Michael Martin has said he doesn’t want to go into Government with Sinn Féin. He’s also said he doesn’t want to go into government with Fine Gael.

“Prominent backbenchers in his own party are now disagreeing with him on both counts and I think as leader of that party he has a duty now to come out and spell out very clearly to the Irish people that if they do vote for Fianna Fáil what else are they going to get in return for that vote.”

Mr Donohoe’s comments came after Fianna Fáil’s finance spokesman Michael McGrath raised the prospect of coalition with Fine Gael when he said the party should not rule out entering government as a junior coalition partner.

There are also mixed views in the party over whether Fianna Fáil should coalesce with Sinn Féin, with some TDs suggesting this could happen if Gerry Adams was no longer leader.

Mr Donohoe said he hoped Fine Gael and Labour would get an opportunity to “complete their work” in the next government. The people would decide the outcome of the election, he added.

Asked if the Coalition partners should forge a pre-election pact, Mr Donohoe said voters should be asked to continue to transfer between the two parties in the interests of re-electing the current coalition.

A joint general election manifesto would not be “either feasible or appropriate”, however.

“I believe it would be in the interests of the Government that if we are asking people to vote for the re-election of this current Government that we do ask them to continue their transfers to both parties in the ballot box”

Fine Gael and Labour were two different political parties with different priorities, he said.

“But alongside that I do believe that it would be appropriate for one or two core areas that each of the parties stress what they have in common.”

Progress made in “restoring health to our national finances” would be a key element, he added.