Paisley tight-lipped on son’s Equality Bill role

The North’s First Minister Ian Paisley today refused to give the Assembly an assurance his son will have no role in bringing forward legislation in relation to gays and lesbians.

Junior minister Ian Paisley Jnr's recent comments that he was repulsed by the actions of homosexuals caused a storm and took centre stage when Ian Paisley Snr stood for his inaugural session of questions to the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) in the Assembly.

It was clear the First Minister had been expecting such a question and was prepared to answer it, but it appeared to lead to a bit of confusion.

He insisted he and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness were totally opposed to any form of discrimination - before he was actually asked the question about his son's opinions.

Nevertheless he made it clear there was no room for homophobia or any other discrimination in the new administration.

"The office of First Minister and the Deputy First Minister is totally committed to promoting equality of human rights and the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister are completely opposed to any form of discrimination or harassment against any citizens - and so are all in their office," said Mr Paisley.

The SDLP's Thomas Burns (South Antrim) had actually asked the First Minister whether he agreed with his son's comments in the last Assembly that the real reason for appointing junior ministers was so they could "stick their noses into any business the First Minister and Deputy First Minister decide", and to prevent proper scrutiny of the OFMDFM's actions.

When he tried to put the question again, the First Minister - with his son sitting beside him on the front bench in the Stormont Chamber - referred back to his original answer.

Eventually the question Mr Paisley had been expecting came from Dolores Kelly (SDLP Upper Bann) during a supplementary question about equality legislation.

She sought an assurance that an Equality Bill would be of the highest standards and that "further to the offensive comments of recent weeks by junior minister Paisley, that minister will have no role in equality legislation in relation to the gay and lesbian community".

The First Minister responded: "No, I am not in a position to give those assurances - this House is sovereign, this House is Pope."