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Are UK child poverty rates over seven times higher than those in Scandinavia?
23 April 2024
CLAIM: Child poverty rates in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland are between 2.4% and 3.6% – while in the UK they are 28.3%.
Rating
INACCURATE
On 26 March in a post on social media, BBC NI journalist Mandy McAuley made a claim about recent child poverty figures in the UK
Articles
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Economy
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Health
Are unpaid carers worth hundreds of millions of pounds per year to Northern Ireland?
19 April 2024
CLAIM: Unpaid carers provide the equivalent of hundreds of millions of pounds of work every year, while the Department of Communities spends only 2% of its budget on Carer’s Allowance.
Rating
ACCURATE
On 28 February in a post on social media, Carers NI public affairs manager Craig Harrison claimed: “2%… That’s the amount of DfC’s budget spent
Articles
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Law
Does NI’s criminal justice system have the biggest backlog in the UK?
11 April 2024
CLAIM: Northern Ireland is the worst place in the UK for logjams in the justice system.
Rating
ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 14 November, an article in the Belfast Telegraph claimed that: “Northern Ireland’s Crown Court is now backlogged until the autumn of 2024, with no
Articles
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Education
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Health
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Law
Have 75% of 16-year-old girls in NI been harassed on the street?
4 April 2024
CLAIM: Three quarters of all 16-year-old girls in Northern Ireland have experienced on-street harassment.
Rating
ACCURATE
On 26 February, during a debate in the Assembly, Sinn Féin MLA Emma Sheerin said: “One of the statistics that really shocked me was in
Articles
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Health
Did almost 1,500 people die in NI in one year because of long waits in A&E?
27 March 2024
CLAIM: There is strong evidence that in 2022, delays in Northern Ireland’s emergency departments led to the premature deaths of 1,434 people.
Rating
ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
In an interview published on 21 January in the Irish Times, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s (RCEM) Vice Chair in Northern Ireland Dr Russell
Articles
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Education
Does a child with a statement have to be placed in their parents’ preferred school?
21 March 2024
CLAIM: Parents/guardians of children with a statement of special educational needs can tell the Education Authority which school they want that child to attend, and that school is required to accept them.
Rating
INACCURATE
On 30 January in a post on social media, newspaper columnist Newton Emerson said: “Timely reminder: if your child has a statement, the EA is
Articles
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Health
Do 11% of Travellers die by suicide?
11 March 2024
CLAIM: Sinn Féin TD Mark Wark said that 11% of all Travellers will die by suicide – a rate which is seven times higher than the general population.
Rating
ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 5 December during a debate in the Dail, Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward said: “Some 11% of all Travellers will die by suicide. This Articles
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Health
Are Northern Ireland’s child vaccination rates for measles too low?
5 March 2024
CLAIM: Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly claimed that almost 89% of children in NI have received their first MMR jab, but fewer return for the second dose – with only 85% fully vaccinated by the time they are five years old. The WHO recommends a 95% vaccination rate to prevent outbreaks.
Rating
ACCURATE
On 19 February during a plenary session in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly said: “Almost 89% of children in Northern Ireland have
Articles
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Peace
Is Belfast City Council’s policy for dual language street signs “extremist and provocative”?
23 February 2024
Articles
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Law
Did online child grooming in Northern Ireland increase by 40% last year?
16 February 2024
CLAIM: The Derry Journal reported that cases of online sexual grooming of children in Northern Ireland rose by over 40% between 2022 and 2023.
Rating
INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 6 February in a post on social media, the Derry Journal claimed: “The mother of two children who were groomed by someone pretending to
Articles
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Europe
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Law
Can both UK and Irish citizens cross the border without showing ID?
9 February 2024
CLAIM: Citizens of both the UK and of Ireland are not required to carry or produce ID when moving between the two territories, thanks to the legal provisions of the Common Travel Area.
Rating
ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION
On 11 January in posts on social media, campaign group End Deportations Belfast criticised the approach of An Garda Síochána officers carrying out checks on
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Elections
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Peace
Do the people of Northern Ireland want the Assembly to return?
30 January 2024
CLAIM: Recent polling data indicates that the Northern Irish public wants devolution restored.
Rating
ACCURATE
Professor Shirlow is the Director of the Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool. On 29 January, he claimed in a post on