The High Court in Belfast heard evidence that Sinn Fein departments delayed work on an Irish language strategy because of cost concerns.

The hearing formed part of a legal challenge brought by Conradh na Gaeilge against the Executive and Communities Minister Gordon Lyons.

Correspondence from February and March showed officials in the Department for Economy and the Department for Infrastructure questioning the resources needed for the strategy.

Costs for Irish and Ulster Scots strategies were estimated at between £3 million and £5 million each per year, with combined costs reaching up to £10 million annually.

Jamie Bryson, who intervened in the case, said the responses from Sinn Fein departments came later than those from the DUP-run Department for Communities.

The court was told that the Department for Communities had submitted its position in January while two Sinn Fein departments responded later.

Mr Lyons has denied claims that he is hostile to the Irish language and has said there are no plans to deliver a strategy before the 2027 Assembly election.

The legal action dates back to commitments made in the 1998 Northern Ireland Act and the 2006 St Andrews Agreement.

The case continues.