Justice Minister, Frances Fitzgerald, has told the Seanad she will consider changing the “prohibited degrees of relationship” to allow those currently considered too closely related to marry, to do so in some cases.

She was responding to Senator David Norris who said in the Seanad on Tuesday that gay cousins should be allowed to marry because it will not affect the “genetic pool”.

He said: “It would not take a feather out of me if two cousins married each other. What is the problem with that?”

Explaining that regulations in Irish law concerning close relations marrying had been formulated around concerns for the gene pool, Senator Norris asserted that this “will remain relatively untroubled by same-sex marriage”.

The Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald, responded to Senator Norris’ proposal by agreeing to consider what is currently incest in the eyes of the law.

“The Department of Justice and Equality and the Department Social Protection are currently considering a review of prohibited degrees of relationship based on affinity and the prohibitions based on familial relationships by marriage,” she revealed. “I agree with Senator Norris that some should be reviewed and we will look at that. I would add that the prohibited degrees are not exclusively about genetics but about power disparity or abuse within families. Clearly, a range of issues must be considered when we are looking at the issue.”

During the same Seanad debate, taking place before same-sex marriage legislation is signed into law by President Michael D Higgins, Independent Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames, who campaigned for a No vote in the May referendum, said a tolerance of sexual difference in Ireland was vital but so was a tolerance of opinion on the matter.

She accused Taoiseach Enda Kenny of being too willing to bend to international pressure on the issue throughout the campaign for same-sex marriage.