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Law

Is the UK ranked 14th in Europe for the number of asylum seekers it processes and accepts?
30 March 2022

Is the UK ranked 14th in Europe for the number of asylum seekers it processes and accepts?

Rating

INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

Figures for 2020 show that the UK was 20th among Euro nations for asylum applications received per head of population, and 19th for applications granted.

Economy

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Elections

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Europe

Do 20% of EU customs checks take place in the Irish Sea?
24 March 2022

CLAIM: 20% of EU customs checks take place in the Irish Sea.

Rating

UNSUBSTANTIATED

It is unclear how this figure was calculated. Neither the DUP, DAERA nor the European Commission could confirm the figure. On 14 January 2022, the

Economy

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Europe

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Explainer

Economic effects of the Northern Ireland Protocol
8 February 2022

The claim that the Northern Ireland Protocol “costs £900 million to Northern Ireland” annually is based on two articles by economist Dr Esmond Birnie.

While economic models are a recognised way of using simple frameworks to illustrate complex processes, they are often based on assumptions and are ultimately tested

Economy

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Europe

Is what Northern Ireland buys from Great Britain four times more valuable than from Ireland?
27 January 2022

CLAIM: Northern Ireland purchases from Great Britain are four times more valuable than those from Ireland.

Rating

ACCURATE

This claim is accurate. In 2019, the ratio of the estimated total value of Northern Ireland purchases from Great Britain (£13.4bn) to purchases from Ireland

Europe

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Law

Is the Court of Justice of the EU the supreme court for all Protocol issues?
22 October 2021

CLAIM: The Court of Justice of the European Union is the supreme court for all Northern Ireland Protocol issues.

Rating

INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

The Court of Justice of the European Union is the ultimate arbiter on certain Articles of the Protocol, and has an indirect role in interpreting

Europe

Are ‘extra months’ on pre-Brexit UK passports no longer valid?
30 September 2021

CLAIM: Additional months of validity on UK passports issued before the UK left the EU are no longer valid.

Rating

ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

British passports used to visit the European Union or the Schengen Area following the end of the Brexit transition period must be less than 10

Economy

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Europe

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Law

Does the Northern Ireland protocol require certain aspects of EU law to apply in Northern Ireland and can this only happen if they are incorporated into Northern Ireland law?
23 September 2021

CLAIM: The Northern Ireland Protocol requires certain aspects of EU law to apply in Northern Ireland but this can only happen if they are incorporated into Northern Ireland law.

Rating

INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

Certain aspects of EU law do still apply in Northern Ireland as a result of the Protocol, but these do not have to be incorporated

Europe

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Explainer

Pets and the Northern Ireland Protocol
6 July 2021

Background: worries about Brexit and pets

Before the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, FactCheckNI published a fact check on the claim that pet owners travelling from Northern Ireland

Economy

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Elections

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Europe

Can 45 NI Assembly members vote together to revoke and remove the Northern Ireland Protocol?
18 May 2021

CLAIM: If 45 members of the Northern Ireland Assembly vote to revoke the Northern Ireland Protocol, then the Protocol goes.

Rating

INACCURATE

The Assembly cannot simply vote and “the Protocol goes”. By December 2024, the Assembly will vote on whether to continue with or withdraw consent for

Economy

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Europe

Does Ireland have the fastest growing economy in the Eurozone?
14 April 2021

CLAIM: Ireland has the fastest growing economy in the Eurozone.

Rating

ACCURATE

According to the most recent annual figures, Ireland has the highest annual rate of GDP growth (both as an absolute figure and if adjusted for

Europe

Are UK passports produced by non-UK companies?
9 March 2021

CLAIM: UK passports are produced by non-UK companies.

Rating

ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

The new (blue) UK passport is produced by Thales Group (headquartered in France). However, passports will be personalised with the holder’s details in the UK.

Europe

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News

Overcoming closed borders: opening up fact-checking solutions
24 November 2020
Interview with Giovanni ZAGNI (Director, Pagella Politica) by Allan LEONARD (24 November 2020) “I haven’t seen some of my colleagues in six months,” remarked Giovanni