A FORMAL complaint in relation to remarks about women made by the DUP's Jim Wells has been submitted to the Assembly Commissioner for Standards.
Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson made the complaint after a microphone picked up the former health minister talking to Ulster Unionist Ross Hussey before a Public Accounts Committee meeting at Stormont last week.
The full exchange cannot be clearly heard on a recording of the session posted on the assembly's website.
However, Mr Wells told The Irish News last night he was chatting to Mr Hussey when he made a self-deprecating remark.
Click here to listen to Jim Wells' remarks
"What I said was 'I am popular with women under the age of eight and over the age of 80 but I can't cope with the ones in between'," he said.
"We were making self-deprecatory comments."
Mr Wells said he was concerned people had only heard an indistinct recording of the conversation, saying he could not clearly make out the comments himself until he listened to an enhanced version.
Mr Hussey last night also said they had been having a light-hearted conversation.
"There really was nothing offensive," he said. "It was the most inoffensive remark."
However, Mr Dickson has written to commissioner Douglas Bain to see if the comments represent a breach of the Assembly Code of conduct.
"The code states members should promote equality of opportunity and not discriminate against any person regardless of anything. That would clearly not be the case if such comments as alleged were made," he said.
"I have asked the commissioner to investigate urgently whether the Assembly has been brought into disrepute. I look forward to his response and Mr Wells' explanation of his alleged comments."
Last month environment minister Mark H Durkan also found off-the-cuff remarks being picked up by a Stormont microphone.
After giving a lengthy answer in the assembly chamber he was overheard telling a colleague "That was pure waffle".
Shortly afterwards he tweeted: "Frustrated that I had been unable to give a better, more concise answer to an important supplementary question. I felt I waffled."
