Economy

Economy

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Europe

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Law

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

Economy

CLAIM: Business rates on Main Street in Larne are the same as Regent Street in London.

Rating

INACCURATE

This claim is inaccurate. Higher property values in Regent Street mean that average rates are much higher there than Main Street in Larne. In an article

Economy

CLAIM: Public spending in Northern Ireland is 45% higher than it is in Ireland.

Rating

INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

Using public expenditure as a measure of public spending, total public expenditure per person in Northern Ireland in 2015–16 was 10% higher than in Ireland.

Economy

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Elections

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Europe

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

CLAIM: The provision of full-time (equivalent) maternity pay in the UK is among the lowest in Europe.

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ACCURATE

This claim is accurate. In an OECD report, the UK ranked 9th lowest of 33 European countries for “full-rate equivalent” paid maternity leave. Including home

Economy

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Europe

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

Economy

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Explainer

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Health

EXPLAINER: A paediatrician has claimed that one third of children in Northern Ireland live in poverty.

How many children in Northern Ireland live in poverty? Dr Julie-Ann Maney, a paediatrician who works at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, wrote

Economy

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Education

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Health

CLAIM: Northern Ireland is one of the most “locked-down” places in the world.

Rating

ACCURATE

According to a “Government Stringency Index”, the UK has one of the strictest lockdown policies in the world, but the Northern Ireland Executive’s response is

Economy

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Health

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Law

CLAIM: Social media posts are circulating showing supermarket shelves that have been covered over or taped off to prevent customers purchasing certain items. Reference is made to this happening in Belfast and Northern Ireland.

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INACCURATE

At the time of writing, Wales is the only part of the UK that has restricted the sale of non-essential items in supermarkets. There is

Economy

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Explainer

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Health

This explainer article details the Northern Ireland Executive’s COVID-19 recovery plan. Last changed on Thursday 15 October 2020, this article is no longer being updated.

Please refer to the NI Direct website for information about the latest restrictions. [This article was originally part of the COVID-19 Information Dissemination (COVID-19 ID)

Economy

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Education

CLAIM: About 95% or 98% of all households in the Holylands area of Belfast are HMOs.

Rating

INACCURATE

This claim is inaccurate. FactCheckNI has estimated that 45% of properties in the Holylands are licensed as HMOs, and Belfast City Council report a figure

Economy

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Health

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Law

CLAIM: At a Northern Ireland Policing Board meeting, the PSNI's Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said that there was 90% compliance with people wearing face coverings in retail settings.

Rating

UNSUBSTANTIATED

Constable Alan Todd has clarified that this figure was an estimate. This claim is unsubstantiated. On 10 August 2020, the use of face coverings in