By Brendan Anderson

The daughter of Ian Paisley, founder of the hard-line Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), has won a sex discrimination case against her father’s party.

Rhonda Paisley filed the suit after she was turned down in 2004 for a job as the party’s policy officer. She is a former DUP Belfast City Councilor and ex-lady mayoress of Belfast. Had the case gone to court, it could have caused major embarrassment to DUP leader Paisley and his son, Ian Junior, like his father, a member of the Assembly.

The case, however, was settled out of court Monday after a statement was issued that had been agreed by Rhonda Paisley and the DUP. The party said it accepted its recruitment procedures were “deficient” and apologized for any distress caused.

Following a review, the DUP said, it had put in place best practice procedures for future appointments. It also said it regretted “the way the issues had been handled.”

The Equality Commission confirmed that Rhonda Paisley had withdrawn her application for assistance and added that her complaint to the Industrial Tribunal had also been withdrawn.

Rhonda Paisley also won a case against the Arts Council for Northern Ireland which she had accused of religious discrimination.

In recent years, however, she has managed to avoid the publicity that goes with being the daughter of a high-profile father and has concentrated on her career as an artist.