Member's statement: Irish Language Signage

Member's statement by Mr Phillip Brett on 30 September 2025.

MLA

Mr Phillip Brett

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

30 September 2025

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Irish Language Signage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5142797

Read the official Assembly record

Text

For decades, those on the Benches opposite lectured the people of Northern Ireland against majority rule. They told us that it was unfair, undemocratic and oppressive, yet, today, in Belfast City Council, with the help of the Alliance Party, they will impose minority rule on the people of Belfast by introducing the scandalous policy that says that Irish language street signs can be imposed upon communities with just 15% support. Yes, that is right, Mr Speaker — just 15% support. As revealed in the 'Belfast Telegraph' yesterday, since 2022, 228 streets have been approved for Irish language street signs, yet only 12% of those applications had the majority support of residents who live in those streets.

In nearly nine out of 10 of those cases, the views of the minority trumped the view of the majority. That is not democracy; it is imposition. Let us look at the facts. Signs were approved on Malone Valley Park and Eliza Street Close with support from just 15% of residents. On Upper Stanfield Street, it was 16%, and, at Wolfhill Gardens in my constituency, barely 17% of residents supported the change in signage. In each of those cases, the vast majority of local people did not back the change, yet the policy, championed by Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Alliance Party, was pushed through. I have been contacted by residents from across North Belfast, from all backgrounds and traditions, telling me that they do not want that territorial marking. They want to be left alone by Belfast City Council, and they want the council to get on with its job of emptying bins, cleaning streets and proper play park provision. While the flawed policy rolls ahead, the cost continues to spiral. To date, £170,000 has been spent on those signs, with 1,200 still to be erected. That is money that should have been spent on overcoming the crumbling of Belfast city centre, where shops are closing and businesses are leaving. Parties talk about respect, but the policy delivers the opposite of that by forcing minority rule on streets, when the majority have been ignored. When they do not like the answer that they get from the resident survey results, do not worry; they will resurvey until they get the results that they want. Our message to Belfast City Council is clear: although we are a minority, we will continue to speak up for the majority. I trust that the Alliance Party will once again U-turn on this disgraceful policy.

417 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Qualifying Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:16 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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