Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor has unhesitatingly ruled out a future coalition with Sinn Féin, saying some of the party’s elected members “have questions to answer” about the past.

Asked on RTE Radio One about whether she would support a Fine-Gael – Sinn Féin coalition, she responded immediately: “No.”

Elaborating on her answer, she said Sinn Féin has a lot of questions to answer about the past

“There are people in Dáil Éireann who have questions to answer. Everyone knows who they are,” she said.

Sinn Féin has 23 seats in the Dáil.

She also said she fundamentally disagreed with Sinn Féin’s policies on finance.

The issue of a possible future coalition was raised by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny this week, when he refused to rule it out and said electoral realities meant political parties had to form deals on the basis of how the people voted.

Senior members of his own cabinet disagreed publicly with him, with Minister for Housing Simon Coveney saying Fine Gael and Sinn Féin are too far apart to form a Government.

Simon Coveney told East Coast FM: “I don’t think the parties are compatible, unless there’s some fundamental change that I don’t see happening any time soon.

“The policies are very different. Sinn Féin’s view on how to maintain a strong economy and create jobs is very different to ours.”