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Is Northern Ireland one of the cheapest parts of the UK for childcare?
25 April 2023
CLAIM: Northern Ireland is one of the least expensive places in the UK for childcare.
Rating
INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 11 March, Belfast Live posted on its Facebook page that: “Northern Ireland has been named as one of the cheapest regions in the UK
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Economy
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Elections
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Europe
Did Unionism always oppose the Northern Ireland Protocol?
23 March 2023
CLAIM: Unionism was against the NI Protocol from day one
Rating
ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 15 March, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP told the National Press Club in Washington DC: “Unionism rejected the NI Protocol from day one.”
Articles
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Economy
Do the two richest people in Ireland have more wealth than half the population?
1 March 2023
CLAIM: Ireland’s two wealthiest people are worth more financially than the poorest 50% of the population
Rating
ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On January 16, Oxfam International published a new report – Survival of the Richest – which looks at the changing distribution patterns of wealth around
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Health
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Topics
Would it cost the Irish government £880m to provide free GP care?
31 January 2023
CLAIM: Provision of GP appointments that are free at the point of delivery would cost the Dublin Exchequer an extra £880m per year.
Rating
INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 17 January, crossbench peer Lord Kilclooney claimed: “To provide free GP care in the Republic of Ireland, which already exists in NI as it
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Uncategorized
Are driving examiners striking across the UK?
13 December 2022
CLAIM: A BBC report said that driving examiners and rural payment officers at sites across the UK are planning to strike.
Rating
ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 29 November, the BBC reported that driving examiners and rural payments officers represented by the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union are planning to
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Economy
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Topics
Did the GDP gap between NI and Britain’s wealthiest regions grow by almost 44% between 2000 and 2014?
5 December 2022
CLAIM: Between 2000 and 2014, the gap in GDP per capita between NI and the three wealthiest regions of GB increased by 44%.
Rating
INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
Ireland’s Future used inappropriate data to reach its conclusion By coincidence, analysis of official GDP data leads to results which are similar but not the
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Economy
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Education
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Do far more young people in Northern Ireland have no qualifications, compared with peers in England?
23 November 2022
CLAIM: Based on figures from 2015, an average of 6.3% of young people across the nine regions of England had no qualifications - compared with 10.4% of those in NI.
Rating
ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
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”.
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Economy
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Health
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Does the UK have more food banks than McDonald’s?
24 October 2022
CLAIM: There are more food banks across the UK than McDonald’s restaurants
Rating
ACCURATE
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
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Economy
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Will £400m of unspent public funds be wiped out by a budget deficit?
24 September 2022
CLAIM: A £400m pot left unallocated by Stormont is going to be used to cover ongoing spending by departments.
Rating
INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
Northern Ireland currently has around £270m in unallocated public money As things stand, this money will not be used to cover existing shortfalls – or
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Economy
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Topics
Is childcare the biggest cost for NI families, after housing?
1 September 2022
CLAIM: Childcare is the biggest cost for households across Northern Ireland outside of mortgages and rent.
Rating
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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
Articles
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Economy
Did average pay plummet by 3.7% in the three months from May?
24 August 2022
CLAIM: Workers’ wages decreased by an average of 3.7% between May and the start of August
Rating
INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
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
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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%.
Rating
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