Northern Ireland First Minister Rev Ian Paisley today refused to give the Assembly an assurance his son Ian Jr will have no role in bringing forward legislation in relation to gays and lesbians.
Mr Paisley Jnr, who is a junior minister in the North's Executive, caused outrage recently by saying he was repulsed by the actions of homosexuals.
The issue took centre stage in the Assembly today when Rev Paisley stood for his inaugural session of questions to the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM).
It was clear the First Minister had been expecting the question and was prepared to answer it but there appeared to be some confusion.
Rev Paisley insisted that he and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness were 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.
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."
Mr Burns later said outside the chamber that he would be writing to the speaker of the Assembly seeking clarification after the First Minister failed to properly answer his question.
PA