Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has claimed the body overseeing his department “isn’t a proper scrutiny committee” as MLAs clashed during a Stormont meeting. Mr Lyons was investigated over a Facebook post he published in June 2025 after immigrant families were forced to flee their homes during racially motivated riots. In a report published last week former independent Assembly commissioner for standards Melissa McCullough found that Mr Lyons’ actions had the potential of “heightening tensions and exacerbating an already contentious situation”. Mr Lyons then said: “You come here and you think you’re part of the scrutiny committee, but you ask questions, but you never bring an alternative. He told Mr Lyons: “You do have support within this committee and that needs to be pointed out.”