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Does easier access to abortion and contraception lead to an increase in domestic abuse and sexual violence?

On 7 June on BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme, Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown claimed: “The problem is that we find as abortion and contraception has been more

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Has Northern Ireland been in fiscal deficit for most – or indeed all – of its existence?

During a speech at a New Ireland Commission event on August 23, SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole said: “Northern Ireland has been in fiscal deficit for most of its existence. Put

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Is the EU contributing €1 billion to the PEACE PLUS fund for Northern Ireland?

On September 11 2023 The Irish News tweeted:  “Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has joined EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in Belfast to announce €1 billion of EU funding for Northern Ireland.” However,

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Will nearly 40% of NI properties be at risk from flooding by 2080?

On 4 September, the Belfast Telegraph published a story under the headline: “Flooding warning: Nearly 40% of properties in NI will be at risk of flooding by year 2080” The

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Is there no such thing as a ‘hate crime’ under NI law?

In a social media post on 1 August, commentator Newton Emerson claimed: “There’s no such thing as’’a hate crime’ under NI law, only crimes aggravated by hatred.” This claim has

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Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in Northern Ireland: What’s happening?

A four-page leaflet circulated by the lobby group Truth Behind RSE NI (TBRNI) makes multiple claims regarding Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in Northern Ireland. We’ve taken a look and

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Was Ireland’s constitutional claim to Northern Ireland illegal?

On 7 June, during an evidence session to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (NIAC) in the House of Commons, Baroness Foster was asked the following question by Committee Chair Simon

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Is arts funding per capita almost five times higher in Ireland than it is in Northern Ireland?

On 10 May, the Arts Council NI claimed on Twitter: “Our Director of Arts Development @Gcampbellini & Director of Strategic Development & Partnerships @karlygreene highlight the disparity in arts funding

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Does this picture show all the publicly-available green space in Northern Ireland?

On 25 May, Irish Mirror/Belfast Live Environment Correspondent Shauna Corr shared the following image on Twitter: In her tweet, she said: “This map of Northern Ireland shows the amount of

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Is Lagan Valley one of the least wooded parts of NI?

On 18 June, Alliance Party MLA Sorcha Eastwood claimed on Twitter: “Lagan Valley is one of the least wooded areas in NI, particularly re ancient Woodland.” This claim is mostly

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Is Nicola Sturgeon the first former or current political party leader to be arrested since the 1970s? Is she the only former First Minister or Prime Minister to be arrested in history?

The arrest of former Scottish National Party (SNP) Leader Nicola Sturgeon on Sunday triggered a number of claims about police dealings with UK political figures. One claim that was shared

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Are Treasury contributions to NI going down? Is local spending rising by only 3.6% while it rises by 6% in England?

DUP MPs Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Gavin Robinson both recently claimed in press releases issued at the end of April that: “The Treasury contribution to fund public services in Northern

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