The North's First Minister and Deputy First Minister have denied that they are at "loggerheads" over the appointment of a victims' commissioner, notwithstanding their failure to agree on an acceptable candidate from a shortlist of applicants.
The Rev Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness announced at Stormont yesterday that they are to readvertise the post of victims' commissioner, 10 months after the sensitive job was first advertised, and that they would personally assess the next group of shortlisted candidates.
The delay in replacing the interim victims' commissioner Bertha McDougall, whose appointment was also the subject of controversy and legal challenge, has triggered considerable speculation and some embarrassment for Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness.
They denied any disagreement, however, over who should be appointed to the £65,000 a year position.
"I know there has been a lot of ill-informed speculation that the Deputy First Minister and I have been at loggerheads over the appointment but that simply isn't true. Yes, we have taken time to consider the best way forward but that is just as it should be," said Dr Paisley.
Mr McGuinness said there had been too much "ill-informed comment and controversy" about the issue. "We have not played politics with this issue. It is much too important to us," he said.
Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness justified readvertising the position on the basis that the job previously was the responsibility of the then northern secretary, Peter Hain, and that the new powersharing administration should now take the lead in the matter.
"We want to take full ownership and full responsibility for this process. It is important that the person appointed to this post has the full democratic endorsement associated with a process taken forward under our administration," said Dr Paisley.
"To put it bluntly, we believe that some potential applicants may have been deterred from putting themselves forward for the post during direct rule because they could not be confident of securing the broad political support of the local parties that they would need to become a true champion for victims and survivors in Northern Ireland."
The First Minister and Deputy First Minister said their decision had no bearing on the calibre of the current shortlisted candidates, who would not need to re-apply for the post and would be considered with new applicants, if they wished. Shortlisted candidates will have to make a presentation to Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness.
Dr Paisley, who took questions in the Assembly yesterday, after pressure from a number of MLAs, refused to expand on the leaders' agreed statement.
SDLP Assembly member Alex Attwood said he was deeply concerned that Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness did not deal with the matter in the Assembly chamber.