The Taoiseach has responded to claims by Sinn Féin that the party is ready to govern in Ireland by saying he does not believe their policies will help with economic recovery.

His comments come after Sinn Féin’s deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald told her party’s Ard Fheis that the party was ready for government in the republic.

Motions calling for the repealing of the eight ammendment to the constitution and for abortion in limited circumstances were also passed at today’s Ard Fheis in Derry.

Speaking after his address at the 27th Young Fine Gael National Conference in Limerick on Saturday, Enda Kenny insisted he is confident that Fine Gael and Labour will be returned to power after the next election.

Mr Kenny said the challenge for government is to secure full economic recovery and a full employment for 2018.

“Every party is entitled to have its views. Obviously, I believe that Fine Gael and Labour will win the next election. I believe that people will not want to go back from the progress that we have made and the challenge for government is to secure the recovery and to fulfil the mandate that the people have gave us of sorting out our public finances and putting our people back to work

“The policies that are being pursued by opposition groups and parties do not lead in that direction. Complacency may well be the enemy of any government but confusion and instability is certainly a recipe for a retreat to the catastrophic situation that we have had before.”