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Economy

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Elections

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Environment

Do 25 of NI’s 27 main ‘economic hubs’ have creaking water and sewage infrastructure that is holding back development?
4 May 2022

CLAIM: The DUP’s manifesto claims that 25 of NI’s 27 economic hub towns have compromised water infrastructure - with only 12 set to see investment by 2027.

Rating

ACCURATE

The DUP manifesto for the 2022 Assembly election claims: “The crisis in available water and sewerage capacity in Northern Ireland is curtailing economic investment and

Economy

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Elections

Was the Tories’ £20 cut to Universal Credit the biggest overnight drop in welfare since World War II?
4 May 2022

CLAIM: When the Conservative government in Westminster removed £20 per week from individuals’ social security payments in October 2021, this represented the biggest single reduction in benefits since 1945.

Rating

ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

The SDLP manifesto for the 2022 Assembly election claims: “The £20 Universal Credit cut marked the largest overnight welfare cut since World War II.” This

Elections

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Environment

Do nearly 30% of NI’s carbon emissions come from farming, compared with 10% in the rest of the UK?
3 May 2022

CLAIM: Alliance’s manifesto says almost 30% of Northern Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions stem from agriculture, whereas in Great Britain that figure is 10%.

Rating

ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

The Alliance Party’s 2022 Assembly election manifesto claims: “Addressing our agriculture and transport sectors is fundamental to drastically reducing emissions in Northern Ireland. Nearly 30%

Economy

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Elections

Did the early collapse of the Executive leave £334m public money sitting on a shelf?
28 April 2022

CLAIM: Sinn Fein’s manifesto says the premature disintegration of the Executive left £334m of funding unallocated and, had the First and deputy First Ministers remained in place, this money could have provided relief around the rising cost of living.

Rating

ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

At least £334m in public funds for 2022-23 is currently gathering dust. No clear way to allocate this money exists without an Executive in place.

Education

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Elections

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Health

Are children entitled to free school meals 29 percentage points less likely than their peers to get good GCSEs? Has this attainment gap barely closed in over a decade?
21 April 2022

CLAIM: Children in Northern Ireland who are entitled to free school meals (FSME) are 29 percentage points less likely to get 5+ GCSEs at A*-C, including English and maths, than those who aren’t FSME, based on results for 2018-19. This attainment gap has only shrunk by three percentage points (pp) since 2005-06

Rating

ACCURATE

Data shows that in 2018-2019, 49.5% of FSME school leavers had at least five GCSEs including English and maths, compared to 78.5% of their non-FSME

Elections

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Peace

Do most UUP voters intend to transfer to nationalist parties ahead of other unionists in the May elections?
6 April 2022

CLAIM: According to polling, most people planning to cast a first preference vote for the UUP in May’s Assembly election will switch their vote to nationalists before they provide a transfer to other unionist parties.

Rating

INACCURATE

Only 7% of UUP voters plan to switch to a nationalist party first, according to the survey. While 31% say their first move will be

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

Elections

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Peace

Are 75% of non-voters in Northern Ireland pro-Union?
16 November 2021

CLAIM: Three-quarters of non-voters in Northern Ireland are pro-Union.

Rating

ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

This claim is accurate with consideration. The claim that three-quarters of non-voters in Northern Ireland are pro-Union is based on evidence from a research survey

Elections

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Explainer

The process of nominating the First and deputy First Ministers
1 June 2021

EXPLAINER: Which parties might be in a position to nominate one of their MLAs to be First or deputy First Minister after future elections?

The publication of polling data about changing levels of party support in Northern Ireland has led to speculation about which parties might be in a

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

Elections

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Explainer

The electoral register and the 10-year canvass
2 March 2021

EXPLAINER: How is the electoral register maintained in Northern Ireland?

What is the electoral register? The Electoral Commission describes the electoral register as “a record of the names and addresses of people eligible to vote

Elections

Must the next electoral canvass be done by 2023?
2 March 2021

CLAIM: The next electoral canvass in Northern Ireland must be completed before 2023, ten years after the 2013 canvass.

Rating

INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

Legislation lists the years in which a canvass must be completed. It is specific that a canvass is due in 2021, with the subsequent one