By Elaine Loughlin, political reporter

Pearse Doherty has said he has no ambitions to lead Sinn Féin but would happily accept the role.

It comes as party leader, Gerry Adams struggled to provide clear answers on tax rates and denied he was “misleading the public on water charges” during a radio interview this morning.

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@PearseDoherty @loreillysf @cathleencarneyboud set out Sinn Fein's plan for long term economic plan @Rtemews pic.twitter.com/ArBeg7mmX5

— Cllr. Malachy Quinn (@MalachyQuinnSF) February 18, 2016

Sinn Féin’s finance spokesman also defended Deputy Adams who had to be asked numerous times before he provided details on the party’s policy on marginal tax rates – which Sinn Féin would set at 59 cent in the euro for individuals earning over €100,000 a year.

“I don’t believe my party does find difficulty with policy,” Mr Doherty said before adding he had not heard the interview.

Asked whether Deputy Adams should step down to allow for younger leadership of the party, Mr Doherty said the rising popularity of Sinn Féin in the polls was “down to the leadership of Gerry Adams”.

“In terms of whether I see myself as a party leader in the future, it’s not something I have a personal ambition to but it’s something that if the party decided at a later stage, that it is something they want me to do then I would be willing to step up to the challenge.

“This is not about who is in a position of leadership”, he said and added that the party worked as a “collected leadership”.

“It’s not about being hungry for power; it’s about being hungry for change.

“It’s not about personalities, it’s about delivering on a real republic.

“Who is at the helm is a secondary issue,” Mr Doherty said as he set out the party’s plan to deliver a fair recovery and long-term economic growth.

Sinn Féin’s plan involves creating 250,000 new jobs, ensuring decent work for decent pay and a €10bn investment in public services and tackling the housing crisis.

Mr Doherty that “since the start of this campaign, Michael Noonan has been trying to con the electorate. He lied in week one, he lied in week two and he’s lying again today.

“No amount of repetition of the word stability will make it real to all those families living with the impact of Fine Gael’s chaotic policies.

“Since the start of this campaign, Michael Noonan has been trying to con the electorate. He lied in week one, he lied in week two, and he’s lying again today.

“In week one, he got it wrong by €2bn. In week two, he got it wrong by over €1bn, and today he’s got it wrong by up to than half a billion.

“The reality is that Michael Noonan’s figures don’t add up and their policies will mean more chaos in health, more chaos in housing and more chaos in rural Ireland,” Mr Doherty said.