Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney admitted Fine Gael had experienced a “terrible year” in 2014 but would have to look at its options if the numbers were not there with Labour after the next election.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Mr Coveney said his preference was for the present government to be re-elected. Both parties would have had the numbers a year ago, but other options needed to be considered, he admitted.

He said Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin was “very competent” and he could work with the party in government. “At the moment, we don’t have the numbers, absolutely. We’ve had a terrible year, politically. If we don’t make it up with Labour alone, we have to look at options.

“I don’t have any ideological problem with forming a coalition with Fianna Fáil. As long as we can hammer out a programme for government, that is something that Fine Gael can support.

“I think there’s a lot of good people in Fianna Fáil, I think I could work with them. People who support Fianna Fáil, in some ways probably have a lot in common with people who support Fine Gael. This isn’t an ideological problem for me. It will be a practical challenge though to put together a programme for government that Fine Gael can sign up and Fianna Fáil can too.”

Mr Coveney is the second Cabinet minister and potential party leader in recent months to float the idea of a coalition with Fianna Fáil after the next election.

The political partnership was also mooted by Health Minister Leo Varadkar in November when he said a “coalition with Fianna Fáil would be a little like a same-sex marriage”, would seem wrong at first but would probably work out.

Mr Coveney, who is Fine Gael’s director of policy for the next general election, firmly ruled out a coalition with Sinn Féin. “I don’t see that happening because I just don’t see the parties as compatible. I don’t see that as a likely scenario in any circumstances really.”

However, in the strongest support yet for a potential coalition between the Civil War protagonists, Mr Coveney said he could work with Mr Martin.

“I know Micheál a long time; I don’t have any problem with him. I think he is very competent. I’m not going to start suggesting that he be a good Tánaiste, because I don’t know.

“Whatever people decide in the next general election, it will be up to the politicians lucky enough to be elected to put a stable government together that can take Ireland forward. I don’t think we can do that with Sinn Féin but I think there are lots of other options. Obviously I’ll have a role in putting together a programme for government in terms of a policy point of view. If I’m sitting down with Micheál Martin or [FF TD] Michael McGrath, so be it.”

Political strategists say Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil could get up to 72 seats in the next Dáil but would need a smaller party or group of independents to form a government. A Red C poll last week gave them a joint 42%, which would give both parties just 66 seats in the new Dáil.