Northern Ireland Communities Minister Gordon Lyons accused Sinn Fein members of coordinating attacks against him during a scrutiny committee meeting. The exchanges centered on funding for the Northern Ireland Place-Name Project, based at Queen's University.

The project researches origins of street names across Northern Ireland and assists councils in translating English names into Irish. Sinn Fein MLAs on the committee, including chair Colm Gildernew and deputy chair Cathy Mason, claimed Lyons refused to renew funding this year.

Lyons rejected the accusation. He stated the project received prior funding from the Sinn Fein-led Department of Finance. When that support ended, his department provided contingency arrangements to keep operations going into summer while exploring other options.

The minister noted recent resourcing and staffing issues at the university, with some team members leaving. He mentioned Sinn Fein Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald indicated intent to support the project but provided no details yet. Lyons expressed openness to cross-government engagement.

Cathy Mason said Lyons showed a pattern of hostility toward Irish language initiatives, citing court cases, removal of department branding and blocking of an Irish language strategy. She questioned if his actions stemmed from fear of Irish language and identity.

Lyons insisted all facts showed he did not cut funding. He called the Sinn Fein claims a fabrication with no basis in reality. DUP MLA Pam Cameron defended Lyons and accused Sinn Fein of spreading lies for political gain.

Lyons stated he holds no hatred or contempt for the Irish language.