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Flags in NI: What does the PSNI’s new instruction on removing “harmful” flags mean?

5 March 2026

On 16 January 2026, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) published a service instruction: Responding to Complaints about Public Displays. This contained guidance as

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Education

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Education in NI: Does Northern Ireland have a shortage of university places for local people?

2 October 2025

[This article was updated on 3 October 2025 with extra figures supplied by Queen’s University Belfast and to make explicit that the MaSN applies to

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Demographics of NI: What religions are followed by the people living here?

26 September 2025

FactCheckNI has been researching and publishing a short series of articles exploring the demographics of Northern Ireland, examining changes in population age, religion and place

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Explainer: Where were the people who live here born?

4 September 2025

FactCheckNI is planning a short series of articles looking at the demographics of Northern Ireland, examining changes in population age, religion and place of birth.

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Explainer: Who migrates to the UK and what are they entitled to?

9 July 2025

We were prompted to write this explainer after a viral video which featured a man at a demonstration in England making various claims, for example

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Health

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Law

Explainer: What we don’t know about Violence Against Women and Girls in Northern Ireland

2 July 2025

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a big problem under a bright spotlight. But what do we really know about it? Late last year,

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Health

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Law

Explainer: What has changed after Westminster’s vote on abortion?

25 June 2025

The House of Commons voted on amendments to abortion law last week. Despite causing a buzz on social media, none of the proposals directly affect

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Law

Explainer: What does the Supreme Court ruling on the meaning of the word “woman” mean for Northern Ireland?

9 June 2025

In April, the UK Supreme Court ruled that use of the word “woman” in the Equality Act 2010 refers to people whose biological sex is

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Economy

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Housing in NI: Why “vacant domestic properties” are different than “houses without usual residents” and neither actually means just “empty homes”, plus other statistical pitfalls

11 April 2025

In a 24 February debate in the Assembly on a new deal for private renters, People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said: “According to Land

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Health

Health in Northern Ireland: are forced vaccinations on the way?

13 November 2024

A recent consultation from the Department of Health has left some people asking if vaccines will be mandatory. The short answer? Maybe, maybe not, it

Environment

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Agri-food policy, environmental protections and plans within plans within plans

1 December 2023

A single sentence in a newspaper unravels to reveal how strategic policy can be 1) like a Russian Doll, and 2) open to various interpretations

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Law

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Peace

Was Ireland’s constitutional claim to Northern Ireland illegal?

24 July 2023

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