CLAIM: More than 700,000 people born in Northern Ireland have an Irish passport.
CONCLUSION: ACCURATE. 831,779 Irish passport applications (2010-19) represents 44.7% of the Northern Ireland-born population living in the UK at the time of the 2011 Censuses. Continue reading Do more than 700,000 born in Northern Ireland have an Irish passport?
CLAIM: There are more Orangemen than fluent Irish speakers in Northern Ireland.
CONCLUSION: UNSUBSTANTIATED. The 2017-18 Continuous Household Survey indicates there are an estimated 35,955 persons with conversational fluency of Irish, and the current Grand Secretary of the Orange Order has said that it has “around 40,000” members. However, the Order membership figure is unverifiable. Continue reading Are there more Orangemen than fluent Irish speakers?
CLAIM: One in five new constables from 2016 and 2017 are from a Catholic community background.
CONCLUSION: UNSUBSTANTIATED. However the claim is accurate for years 2013 to 2015. Continue reading Are one in five PSNI new constables Catholic?
CLAIM: Only the Irish language is banned in courts in Northern Ireland.
CONCLUSION: INACCURATE. English is the working language of court proceedings in Northern Ireland; interpretation and translation services are provided for those who do not speak or understand English. Whether this policy is informed by the Penal Laws is currently contested. Continue reading Is Irish the only language banned in Northern Ireland courts?
CLAIM: Over 29,000 incidents of domestic violence and abuse took place in Northern Ireland in 2017.
CONCLUSION: ACCURATE. Continue reading Were there over 29,000 cases of domestic violence and abuse in 2016-17?
CLAIM: Seventy percent of people in Northern Ireland and the majority of its Assembly Members support marriage equality for LGBT couples.
CONCLUSION: ACCURATE.
Continue reading Is there majority support for marriage equality?