The leader of the SDLP Opposition, Matthew O'Toole MLA, has formally requested information from senior civil servants regarding Education Minister Paul Givan's decision to publicise his trip to Israel using official departmental resources.

Mr O'Toole has sent letters to both the Head of the Civil Service and the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Education to establish the extent of Civil Service involvement in the trip and to determine whether the Northern Ireland Civil Service Code of Ethics may have been compromised.

Speaking on the matter, the South Belfast MLA highlighted the strong public reaction to the controversy. "There is real public outrage at the Education Minister's decision to not only visit Israel, but to use departmental resources to publicise his trip and help peddle Israeli propaganda. The civil service and department must urgently outline what involvement they had in the Minister's trip, and the departmental resources used to herald a visit to a school sitting on occupied Palestinian land," stated Mr O'Toole.

The Opposition leader committed to utilising all available mechanisms within the Assembly, stating the party is willing to cooperate with any other party to ensure the Minister is held accountable. This includes the use of Official Opposition Assembly time and the submission of an Urgent Oral Question to compel the Minister to publicly justify his choices.

Mr O'Toole referenced the timing of the visit, which he said took place "as the Israeli Government continues to kill innocent civilians in Gaza, with 20,000 children among the dead."

He also expressed concern that this trip and the use of departmental branding appear to be part of a larger pattern of "questionable decisions" made by the Education Minister, accusing him of using his office to advance his "own political agenda, rather than to improve the education system across Northern Ireland."