Queen's picture in Julian Smith's NIO office

Julian Smith and Boris Johnson at Stormont House on Wednesday

The NI secretary has contradicted reports that pictures of the Queen have been removed from Stormont House.

Julian Smith said he was "delighted to see a picture of Her Majesty in my office when I arrived at Stormont House for the first time".

On 10 July, Lord Maginnis told the House of Lords an NIO civil servant was paid £10,000 for having to walk past portraits of the Queen.

They were reportedly offended by the pictures.

• Civil servants told to 'raise concerns without fear'

• Photos of Queen removed from Northern Ireland Office

The senior employee was consulted about what image should be used and suggested one of the Queen meeting Martin McGuinness.

Many nationalists in Northern Ireland do not regard themselves as British and would not recognise the Queen as their head of state.

Mr Smith said he was not going to comment on specific comments made by Lord Maginnis, but said "the NIO takes its obligations under the Northern Ireland Act and Fair Employment legislation seriously".

"There are also many pictures and portraits of Her Majesty, the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the Royal Family on public display at Hillsborough Castle," he said.

A civil servant was consulted about what image should be used and suggested one of the Queen meeting Martin McGuinness

Mr Smith added that "the NIO supports an extensive programme of visits by members of the Royal Family to Northern Ireland, meeting many hundreds of people and a very wide range of groups from across all communities every year".

On Thursday, the DUP called on the Northern Ireland Office to put back up any portraits of the Queen it took down.

Gavin Robinson, the party's MP for East Belfast, said Mr Smith should act as soon as possible.

Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie said: "A portrait of Her Majesty is a symbol of sovereignty and not identity.

"As Stormont House is the official residence of the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, it is only fitting that portraits of Her Majesty should be on display there."

'All about context'

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Equality Commission said that the display of a portrait of the Queen in a building where civil servants work was not unlawful.

"A tribunal or court would be asked to assess, whether in all of the circumstances of a case, a working environment violated an individual's dignity or could have the effect of creating an intimidating or hostile workplace," said the spokesperson in a statement.

"In our experience in past cases, the issue of a royal portrait in the workplace has often been accompanied by wider harassment allegations and workplace tensions. 

"Of course the issue is all about context."

A sensitive issue

Analysis: Mark Simpson BBC News NI

The detailed statement from the secretary of state answered some questions, but not others.

He said there was a picture of the Queen in his office at Stormont House, but he didn't say if there were any more in the building, and whether any had been taken down recently. 

It is clearly a sensitive issue.

Julian Smith concluded his statement by saying the NIO must be an open and inclusive place to work, able to attract people from all parts of the community.

Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey said the issue had been raised with Boris Johnson during his visit to Northern Ireland on Wednesday, saying the new prime minister "looked a bit shocked".

"Hopefully his staff will follow up on this and we will get some clarity," he added.

When the story was initially reported, the top civil servant at the NIO, Sir Jonathan Stephens, emailed every employee to "offer some reassurance".

In an email, seen by the BBC, he said the office was in contact with the individual concerned and was offering support.