FactCheckNI, Author at Fact Check NI

Do far more young people in Northern Ireland have no qualifications, compared with peers in England?

This statistic is accurate, based on analysis from a recent research paper. However, its use lacks some context – in particular, about NI’s “brain drain”. A newer study by the

Has the Executive been in a state of collapse for 40% of its existence?

FactCheckNI has counted the days of existence and days of dysfunction. The Executive has been utterly collapsed for around 37.8% of that time. However, that rises to 39.6% with the

Does Northern Ireland support abortion?

In recent years, several opinion polls have asked for NI’s views on abortion The public is broadly in favour of abortion rights when there are health risks, or in cases

Did the 2006 St Andrews Agreement effectively give the DUP and Sinn Féin a veto over the formation of an Executive?

The 2006 St Andrews Agreement made significant changes to the rules for nominating a First and deputy First Minister and, thus, forming an Executive. However, given their numbers of seats,

Does the UK have more food banks than McDonald’s?

Finding out the exact number of food banks in the UK is difficult. However, even by low estimates, there are far more food banks than there are McDonald’s. The equivalent

Will £400m of unspent public funds be wiped out by a budget deficit?

Northern Ireland currently has around £270m in unallocated public money As things stand, this money will not be used to cover existing shortfalls – or anything else Without an extraordinary

Have the courts said NI schools are discriminatory, and ordered them to stop indoctrinating pupils into Christianity?

The High Court found that the core curriculum for RE lacks objectivity and promotes Christianity, in breach of human rights However, the Court made no ruling on whether this amounts

Does Northern Ireland have the highest rate of infant mortality in Europe?

NI has higher infant mortality than the rest of the UK. Several European countries have higher rates. Nevertheless, NI does have a relatively high rate of infant mortality compared with

Is childcare the biggest cost for NI families, after housing?

Childcare isn’t relevant to every home – but, for such households, this claim is backed by evidence. Annual surveys show that for over half of such families, childcare is one

Did average pay plummet by 3.7% in the three months from May?

There are several different measures of real-terms wage changes One official measure showed wages fell by 3.7% in the three-months up to and including May – not the few months

Is NI subject to EU fuel VAT rates, which cannot be reduced below 5%?

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 rest of the UK, and

Do less than 0.03% of the population of Northern Ireland have a vote in the Conservative Party leadership election 2022?

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 that estimate is plausible, it

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Do far more young people in Northern Ireland have no qualifications, compared with peers in England?

Has the Executive been in a state of collapse for 40% of its existence?

Does Northern Ireland support abortion?

Did the 2006 St Andrews Agreement effectively give the DUP and Sinn Féin a veto over the formation of an Executive?

Does the UK have more food banks than McDonald’s?

Will £400m of unspent public funds be wiped out by a budget deficit?

Have the courts said NI schools are discriminatory, and ordered them to stop indoctrinating pupils into Christianity?

Does Northern Ireland have the highest rate of infant mortality in Europe?

Is childcare the biggest cost for NI families, after housing?

Did average pay plummet by 3.7% in the three months from May?

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?

Economy

Education

Elections

Environment

Europe

Health

Law

Peace

Do far more young people in Northern Ireland have no qualifications, compared with peers in England?

Has the Executive been in a state of collapse for 40% of its existence?

Does Northern Ireland support abortion?

Did the 2006 St Andrews Agreement effectively give the DUP and Sinn Féin a veto over the formation of an Executive?

Does the UK have more food banks than McDonald’s?

Will £400m of unspent public funds be wiped out by a budget deficit?

Have the courts said NI schools are discriminatory, and ordered them to stop indoctrinating pupils into Christianity?

Does Northern Ireland have the highest rate of infant mortality in Europe?

Is childcare the biggest cost for NI families, after housing?￼

Did average pay plummet by 3.7% in the three months from May?

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 childcare the biggest cost for NI families, after housing?

Is NI subject to EU fuel VAT rates, which cannot be reduced below 5%?