Education Minister Paul Givan's Israel trip cost almost £4,000

Givan declared the cost on the NI Assembly's register of members interests

The Israeli government paid just under £4,000 to bring NI Education Minister Paul Givan to the country.

Givan has declared the cost of the trip on the Northern Ireland Assembly's register of members interests.

"The cost of accommodation, food, transport, and flights, to the value of £3,810, was paid for by the Embassy of Israel, London," the register said.

The Department of Education (DE) has also published the letter of invitation from Israel to Givan.

What did the invitation say?

It was received by Givan on 15 September 2025, and his visit subsequently took place in late October.

"At a time when the region is at the centre of global attention, this delegation offers the chance to look beyond the headlines and to hear from a variety of voices from across the political spectrum," the letter of invitation said.

"The itinerary includes visits to both the northern and southern regions of Israel, as well as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, in order to experience the country's distinctive cultural, innovative and historical heritage."

In his entry on the register of interests, Givan said that the trip involved "visiting Israeli Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze and others, meeting members of civil and political society (including government and opposition MK's) and being briefed by eyewitnesses to the murderous terrorist attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and the Houthis".

'Not an official departmental trip'

Givan later faced a no-confidence motion in the assembly over the trip.

Parties supporting the motion said the minister should not have used departmental resources to share images of his visit, including to a school in Jerusalem.

But the motion failed to gain the required support from unionists, with 33 members voting against, and did not pass.

According to information released by DE about the visit, the trip was not an official departmental trip and the Israeli Embassy handled all planning, including booking travel, arranging insurance and organising the itinerary.

Departmental involvement was limited to some logistical work, and no departmental officials took part in the trip.

However, departmental staff in the press office were involved in a press release issued on 27 October following Givan's visit to Ofek school in Jerusalem.

Sammy Wilson was among the NI politicians on the trip to Israel

The delegation on the Israeli trip also included Givan's DUP colleagues Sammy Wilson and David Brooks; Steve Aiken from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and Ron McDowell from the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party.

Mr Brooks and Mr Aiken have also declared the trip on the assembly's register of interests, while Mr Wilson has declared it on his register of interests as an MP.

Mr McDowell, meanwhile, has declared the cost of the trip on his register of interests at Belfast City Council.

Givan has received an invitation for a second visit to Israel in the new year.