FactCheckNI. Northern Ireland’s first dedicated fact checking service
We are a team of independent fact checkers who identify important public statements relevant to Northern Ireland, interrogate the best available evidence, and publish fact check articles to improve the quality of public debate.
Popular on FactCheckNI
Is NI subject to EU fuel VAT rates, which cannot be reduced below 5%? 
Do less than 0.03% of the population of Northern Ireland have a vote in the Conservative Party leadership election 2022?
Is Belfast the most lucrative city in the UK for students’ landlords?
Is the Belfast-Derry/Londonderry train no quicker than it was during Victorian times?
How is the NI Protocol affecting the local cost of living?
Do 140 people per year die while fishing in Irish waters?
When is 40.3 not higher than 39.6?
Are 40,000 people in NI on the Housing Executive waiting list, with 30,000 of those in housing stress?
Do more than 700,000 born in Northern Ireland have an Irish passport?
An open letter to YouTube’s CEO from the world’s fact checkers
Does Northern Ireland have a high teenage pregnancy rate?
Do Northern Ireland arts need a 660% uplift in government funding?
Latest fact checks
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Economy
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Europe
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Is NI subject to EU fuel VAT rates, which cannot be reduced below 5%? 
17 August 2022
CLAIM: Fuel VAT is currently 20% but, if Westminster reduced this to zero to help with the cost of living, this would not apply in NI. Local fuel VAT is set in Brussels, and EU rules stipulate this cannot be lower than 5%.
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ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
UK VAT is 20% for petrol, diesel and commercial energy use, and 5% for domestic energy Current EU rules apply to NI but not the
Articles
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Elections
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Topics
Do less than 0.03% of the population of Northern Ireland have a vote in the Conservative Party leadership election 2022?
9 August 2022
CLAIM: Less than 0·03% of the population of Northern Ireland has a vote in the Conservative Party leadership election 2022.
Rating
UNSUBSTANTIATED
The Tory Party does not release membership figures The 0.03% figure is based on an estimate of the number of party members in NI While
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Economy
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Is Belfast the most lucrative city in the UK for students’ landlords?
27 July 2022
CLAIM: Belfast is the most lucrative city in the UK for landlords of student properties, with a total of £1.8bn in rent collected from students annually.
Rating
INACCURATE
MLA Gerry Carroll made this claim based on a story in the Belfast Telegraph That story was based on a report from insurance firm CIAWe have published over 200 fact checks since 2016.
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