Gaston challenges Stormont over “lavish” £470,000 ministerial travel costs

Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) MLA Timothy Gaston has launched a scathing attack on the Northern Ireland Executive, revealing that Stormont departments have spent over £470,000 on foreign travel in just over a year—more than £52,000 of which was personally spent by Ministers.

Speaking during Assembly members’ statements on Tuesday, Gaston accused the Executive of indulging in “lavish long-haul junkets”, which he claimed were “disconnected from the everyday realities” facing the people of Northern Ireland.

“Through a series of questions for written answer, I have established that, in little over a year, Stormont Departments have spent over £470,000 on travel outside the British Isles. That is nearly half a million pounds of public money being spent in just over 12 months on foreign travel,” said Gaston.

Department spending under fire

Gaston singled out several departments for what he described as excessive and unnecessary overseas trips.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) reportedly spent nearly £78,000, including £11,134 on a trip to New York for Climate Week NYC, involving three officials including the Minister.

“The Department that enforces rigid environmental rules on farmers apparently does not stop to consider its emissions or the cost of flying thousands of miles to talk green. It is hard to take the green rhetoric seriously when it comes wrapped in business class boarding passes,” he said.

The Department of Education also came under scrutiny. According to Gaston, the Minister personally spent £8,128 on overseas travel, with trips including visits to Washington DC and Iceland, and officials clocking up £3,366 on a single trip to Tokyo.

Meanwhile, the Department for Communities faced criticism for spending over £2,280 on a solo trip to Los Angeles, which included £1,200 for a hotel and nearly £1,000 on flights.

“What was so urgent that a transatlantic trip to California was necessary when so many community services here are barely staying afloat?” Gaston questioned.

Executive Office the “biggest spender”

The Executive Office, led by First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, topped the spending list with over £126,000 spent on overseas travel. A six-person delegation to New York for St Patrick’s Day cost £38,000, averaging £6,300 per person.

Adding fuel to the controversy, Gaston referenced a report in the News Letter highlighting the use of private chauffeur-driven cars by senior officials, while “lesser Ministers made do with public transport and Ubers.”

“Ministerial egos should not be subsidised”

Gaston concluded his statement with a sharp rebuke of what he sees as tone-deaf leadership amid severe local challenges, including hospital waiting lists, budget cuts, and rising household bills.

“Ministers are parading on the world stage while hospital waiting lists grow, budgets in the House are slashed and people at home cannot pay their bills. My goodness, ministerial egos should not be subsidised by struggling families.”