Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore (pictured) has denied that he is pushing for assisted suicide after it was suggested there was a split between him and Taoiseach Enda Kenny on the issue.

It comes after he appeared to suggest last week in the Dáil that he would welcome legislation on assisted suicide.

Responding to a question by Independent TD Stephen Donnelly, Mr Gilmore said that the Government would look at setting up an “expert group” to report on the issue.

Last year, the Government set up such a group prior to legalising abortion.

However, Mr Gilmore told the Irish Independent the Government has no plans to bring in legislation and the Labour Party is not pushing for laws in the area.

“The Government doesn’t have any plans for legislation in that area. It is not part of our Programme for Government.

“What I said in the Dail last week is I felt it was an issue that should be considered in a non-partisan way in the Oireachtas.

“I think probably the place for it to be considered is at an Oireachtas committee. There needs to be a broad discussion on it. The Government doesn’t have any legislative plans,” he said.

When asked if he had plans to bring forward legislation, he said: “No.”

The Tanaiste said he was conscious about a case currently before the courts in the area.

Last week, a woman was charged with assisting the suicide of another woman in Dublin in 2011.

The case involves Gail O’Rorke (42), from Kilcare Gardens, Tallaght, who has been charged under Section 2 of the Criminal Law (suicide) Act 1993.

She is charged with aiding and abeting or counselling or procuring the suicide of Bernadette Forde (51) from Morehampton Mews in Dublin

In other countries where euthanasia has been legalised, the grounds under which euthanasia is permitted has been steadily widened.

Belgium is currently considering permitting allowing euthanasia for children and dementia sufferers.

Speaking in the Dáil last week, Mr Gilmore said that a suggestion made by Independent TD Stephen Donnelly to look at producing such a report was “a very positive suggestion’’. He said he agreed that members of the House should deal with the issue as legislators.

Mr Donnelly, a TD for Wicklow, raised the issue of Marie Fleming, who lost a Supreme Court challenge to the constitutionality of the Act prohibiting assisted suicide.

The High Court had previously ruled that the law banning assisted suicide was justified under the Constitution to protect the most vulnerable in society.

Belgium had a record number of 1,432 cases of euthanasia in 2012, up 25pc from the previous year.

A recent Canadian report, No Second Chances, published by the Institute for Marriage and Family suggests that that once assisted suicide or euthanasia are legalised, the once-selective criteria expand to include more and more people.

According to the report, in Oregon, where assisted suicide was legalised in 1997, the number of deaths by assisted suicide has doubled since 2005. Prescriptions for a poisonous cocktail to kill patients have grown by 76pc over the same period.

In Washington, where assisted suicide was legalised in 2009, between 2009 and 2012, the number of deaths by assisted suicide grew 130pc.

In the Netherlands, the number of deaths by euthanasia has increased by 64pc between 2005 and 2010.