Gordon Lyons in transparency row over “heavily redacted” meeting minutes of decision to remove trilingual logos

The chair of a Stormont scrutiny committee has accused Gordon Lyons of a lack of transparency over how he reached a decision to remove Irish and Ulster Scots from a number of departmental logos. The Irish News reported in September that the Department for Communities had dropped a trilingual logo from its branded letter heads on most official correspondence.

Guidelines published by the department last year stated that Irish and Ulster Scots will only be used where the subject matter relates to either, or when issues of culture and identity are addressed.

The DUP communities minister Lyons, who has responsibility for the promotion of minority languages, had previously dismissed concerns raised over the rebranding and hinted that there was a “cost-saving” element to the decision.

The Irish News reported in September that the Department for Communities had dropped a trilingual logo from its branded letter heads on most official correspondence.

Guidelines published by the department last year stated that Irish and Ulster Scots will only be used where the subject matter relates to either, or when issues of culture and identity are addressed.

The DUP communities minister Lyons, who has responsibility for the promotion of minority languages, had previously dismissed concerns raised over the rebranding and hinted that there was a “cost-saving” element to the decision.

However, when his department was asked by the Assembly’s Communities Committee to provide meeting minutes around the rationale for the decision and details around potential cost savings, the documents provided were largely redacted.

Colm Gildernew, the Sinn Féin chair of the committee, has accused the minister of a lack of transparency and called on his department to release the full, unredacted minutes.

The department has said the large amount of blacked out content on the document “relate to topics other than the Departmental logo.”

“The minister’s decision to drop the tri-lingual logo was a backwards step for inclusion, respect, and equality,” Mr Gildernew said.

“The Communities Committee asked the Minister a number of written questions asking him to provide details around the decision to remove Irish and Ulster Scots from his departmental branding.

“The response received was heavily redacted, which begs the question, what is there to hide?

“The Minister hides behind excuses like cost savings and redactions. He should release the full information immediately.”

Correspondence received from DfC did reveal that the review of departmental branding had been carried out “at the request of the minister” and that the changes to logos were “cost neutral”.

Of the unredacted meeting minutes, documents show the issue was first raised at a meeting between Lyons and departmental officials in July 2024, with the only details provided that the minister “will consider options presented” on rebranding. All other minutes of the meeting, including actions to be taken, are redacted.

At another meeting in which the minister did not attend in November 2024, officials suggest that “the English only option will be the default for Ministerial correspondence and briefing”. No further meeting minutes were recorded by the department after this.