FINANCE Minister Sammy Wilson has said that he would support a Veterans Bill to improve Stormont departments' treatment of soldiers, their families and military veterans.
But the DUP minister said that he was unsure whether the Bill, which the News Letter revealed will come before the Assembly after the summer recess, would best be administered through his department.
The Bill, which has been taken forward by Ulster Unionist MLA David McNarry, would bring the Province into line with the rest of the UK by legally ensuring that Government departments uphold the "military covenant" - the nation's duty of care to its armed forces.
Mr McNarry's Bill proposes that the Finance Minister is given additional responsibilities as the Minister for Service Personnel and Veterans, something he argued would bypass the "logjam" in the Office of The First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM).
Mr Wilson told the News Letter: "The normal thing is to have these cross-cutting issues (which affect several departments) done through OFMDFM - it probably doesn't fit all that well with finance.
"I have no difficulty with the concept that people who serve in the military have particular needs - they undertake jobs which we all benefit from and therefore if there are those special considerations they should be looked at.
"Where it rests, I think is really a matter for discussion with the Executive.
"At the end of the day it's about where can this job be done more efficiently - if it can be done most efficiently in finance, then stick it in finance.
"Or indeed, what it may require is simply to lay down the ground rules in a Bill because the nitty-gritty of ensuring that military people aren't put off doctors' waiting lists or given special help when it comes to schools or housing will fall within the remit of individual departments.
"Where the Bill resides initially is only one part of the equation. Making sure that the Bill is robust enough to ensure that departments fulfil those obligations is another."
Mr McNarry said that the Bill would bring Northern Ireland into line with England, Scotland and Wales by compelling Stormont departments to make sure soldiers, their families and veterans are not disadvantaged because of their military service.
The Strangford Assemblyman said: "Who would have thought that in the 21st century a need would have arisen to write down what is in effect a legal charter for our armed services personnel which manifests their needs?"
In June, Mr Wilson's predecessor as Finance Minister, Nigel Dodds, announced that he was working on implementing the MoD's recommendations on improving the armed forces' access to public services.
Mr Dodds said that he hoped the outcome of the work would be that "members of the Armed Forces, past and present, should not be disadvantaged by the military lifestyle, in terms of accessing the full range of public services to which they are entitled."