Stormont's disciplinary system for MLAs does not cover conduct relating to Assembly Committee responsibilities, it has emerged.

Code of conduct complaints against the DUP's Iris Robinson over her condemnation of homosexuality were dismissed last week.

A number of these complaints included the fact that she was chair of the Health Committee at the time of her remarks.

However, this role does not come within the remit of MLAs on the Standards and Privileges Committee.

The cross-party committee decided that no action was required after Mrs Robinson's branded homosexuality as an “abomination”.

The Strangford MLA's controversial comments, made on BBC Radio Ulster's Stephen Nolan Show last year, included a reference to a psychiatrist helping gay people “turn away from what they are engaging in”.

Seven complaints were made by members of the public to the Standards Committee under the MLA code of conduct system.

These disciplinary rules are policed by the Standards Committee, which receives case-by-case advice from Interim Standards Commissioner Tom Frawley.

Mr Frawley took the view that the MLA Code of Conduct “does not apply to the expression of a member's personal beliefs or opinion in respect of moral or social issues”.

He further stated: “A number of the complaints received by the committee refer to Mrs Robinson's role as Chair of the Health Committee as a further reason to complain about her comments.

“My understanding is that the Committee on Standards and Privileges has no remit to consider the position of a member within another committee. Any concerns within a committee about a member's behaviour would be a matter for that committee to draw to the attention of the Assembly for whatever action it considered appropriate.”

Announcing that no action was being taken, the Standards Committee said MLAs “must be free, within the law, to express any political opinion that they may hold”.

It also said that public representatives “have a particular responsibility for the manner in which they express such beliefs”.

In a separate development, no disciplinary action is to be taken over an Assemblyman who was prosecuted earlier this year for a farm pollution offence

DUP member William Irwin was the subject of a standards complaint by Sinn Fein MLA Daithi McKay, after receiving a fine of £750.

In a brief report, the Standards Committee stated: “It is the committee’s position that the purpose of the Code of Conduct is to provide members with duties in respect of their role as elected representatives, not with regard to their private and family life.”