Questions about language signage at station legitimate, says Little-Pengelly

Questions about the decision to install Irish language signs at Belfast’s Grand Central Station are legitimate, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly has said.

Stormont Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said last week that the signage will be installed at the new transport hub in south Belfast.

At the weekend, DUP leader Gavin Robinson questioned whether the estimated £145,000 cost of the signage represented good use of public money.

In an email to party supporters, Mr Robinson said the signage was “clearly a controversial matter”.

However, within the Executive it is ultimately the responsibility of Sinn Fein First Minister Michelle O’Neill and DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly to jointly decide what issues are significant or controversial and should be subject to a wider vote.

Ms Little-Pengelly said on Monday that the decision will be raised at a meeting of the Executive on Thursday.

DUP ministers have already written to Ms Kimmins asking how last week’s decision was made.

The Department for Infrastructure said the decision was taken directly by Ms Kimmins, and not by Translink, the publicly funded transport operator which owns the £340 million station.

Under Stormont rules, ministerial decisions that are deemed significant or controversial should be considered collectively by the powersharing coalition, rather than by an individual minister.

Ms Little-Pengelly was asked about it during questions for the Executive Office in the Assembly on Monday.

SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin told the deputy First Minister that on the restoration of the Assembly last year, she “pledged to recognise and respect differences, and to work tirelessly for all people living in Northern Ireland”.

She said that was “meaningless” when her party opposes the signage, and queried whether “another crocodile moment” is being manufactured, in reference to controversial comments made by former first minister Arlene Foster in 2017.

Ms Little-Pengelly said: “I can assure the Member that I will continue to work for everyone throughout this place.”

She said she was focused on public services, but it was “incredibly important” that questions can be asked, such as the cost to “rip out nearly new signs and to replace those” at Belfast Grand Central Station at a time of strained public finances.

“It is a perfectly legitimate question because I am here to protect and support our public services and try to make sure that people can live the very best lives that they can, with the quality of the services that they deserve,” she said.

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll told Ms Little-Pengelly that there are dual language signs at public transport stations in Dublin, Cardiff and Glasgow among others, and queried whether her party’s approach was “out of step”.

Ms Little-Pengelly said: “I think it is important that we do ask questions about all of these issues.

“I think many, many people out there will ask for the justification for nearly new signs costing over £120,000 being ripped out and replaced by signs because of a particular political agenda of a particular minister.

“These are legitimate questions. We make no apology for asking those questions, we will continue to ask those questions and importantly we want to get the answers.

“I will be raising this at the Executive on Thursday. There is already correspondence in the system asking for the answers to those questions.”

Ms Kimmins’ announcement about the signage has drawn criticism from several unionists.

TUV MLA Timothy Gaston is seeking support from other Assembly members for a petition calling for a cross-community vote at the Executive on the decision.

Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson, from the Unionist Voice Policy Studies (UVPS) group, is attempting to secure a judicial review in the High Court in Belfast against the Department for Infrastructure, saying the decision was taken “without Executive approval”.

In his email to party supporters, seen by the PA news agency, Mr Robinson said: “This is clearly a controversial matter and our ministers will use their position at the Executive table to not only get to the bottom of how the decision was made but put a marker down that public money cannot be used to further Sinn Fein’s pet projects.

“I believe we need to put taxpayers first, ensuring public services are delivered fairly and with efficiency. That means cutting waste and prioritising essential services.

“In a mandatory coalition, we rely on other parties to adopt the same approach. Yet this week, Sinn Fein demonstrated it’s focused on narrow politics rather than acting fairly and wisely.”

Grand Central Station has been billed as the largest integrated transport hub on the island of Ireland, with services including trains between Belfast and Dublin.

When the station opened last year disappointment was expressed by the Irish language community that the signage did not incorporate Irish.

In response to a weekend query on the decision-making process, a Department for Infrastructure spokesperson confirmed that the decision was taken by Ms Kimmins, and not Translink.