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Did Sinn Féin collapse Stormont for three years?
12 October 2023

CLAIM: Sinn Féin brought down Northern Ireland’s political institutions for three years between early 2017 and early 2020.

Rating

IT'S COMPLICATED

On BBC NI show Sunday Politics on 1 October, News Letter editor Ben Lowry said: “Sinn Fein brought down Stormont for three years, three years

Articles

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Elections

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Topics

Could the UUP and SDLP change their designations to prevent the DUP from nominating a deputy First Minister?
28 September 2023

CLAIM: If MLAs from the UUP and SDLP switched their Stormont community designations to ‘Other’, this would remove the DUP’s entitlement to nominate a deputy First Minister.

Rating

ACCURATE

A letter printed in the Irish News on 18 September claimed that the UUP and SDLP could have prevented the DUP from being entitled to

Articles

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Law

Do PSNI chief constables have the same average tenure as other top cops in the UK?
27 September 2023

CLAIM: PSNI chief constables tend to stay in post for the same amount of time as the top officers on forces in England and Wales.

Rating

ACCURATE

Following the resignation of Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Simon Byrne, University of Liverpool Professor Jon Tonge claimed on social media that:

Articles

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Health

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Law

Does easier access to abortion and contraception lead to an increase in domestic abuse and sexual violence?
22 September 2023

CLAIM: As abortions and contraceptives become more readily available, rates of domestic abuse and sexual violence go up.

Rating

INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

On 7 June on BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme, Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown claimed: “The problem is that we find as abortion

Articles

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Economy

Has Northern Ireland been in fiscal deficit for most – or indeed all – of its existence?
20 September 2023

CLAIM: SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole claimed that, since it came into being a century ago, Northern Ireland has been a net recipient of UK Government funding - either in most years, or in every single year.

Rating

ACCURATE/INACCURATE

During a speech at a New Ireland Commission event on August 23, SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole said: “Northern Ireland has been in fiscal deficit for

Economy

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Europe

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Peace

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Topics

Is the EU contributing €1 billion to the PEACE PLUS fund for Northern Ireland?
13 September 2023

CLAIM: The Irish News claimed that the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar joined EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in Belfast to announce €1 billion of EU funding for Northern Ireland.

Rating

INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

On September 11 2023 The Irish News tweeted:  “Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has joined EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in Belfast to announce €1 billion of EU

Articles

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Environment

Will nearly 40% of NI properties be at risk from flooding by 2080?
5 September 2023

CLAIM: The Belfast Telegraph claimed that projections from the Department of Infrastructure indicate that 38% of all properties in Northern Ireland will be at risk of flooding by 2080.

Rating

INACCURATE

On 4 September, the Belfast Telegraph published a story under the headline: “Flooding warning: Nearly 40% of properties in NI will be at risk of
Hate crime Northern Ireland

Articles

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Law

Is there no such thing as a ‘hate crime’ under NI law?
25 August 2023

CLAIM: There is no such thing as a hate crime under NI law. Instead, there are only crimes aggravated by hatred.

Rating

ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

In a social media post on 1 August, commentator Newton Emerson claimed: “There’s no such thing as’’a hate crime’ under NI law, only crimes aggravated

Articles

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Education

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Health

Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in Northern Ireland: What’s happening?
14 August 2023
A four-page leaflet circulated by the lobby group Truth Behind RSE NI (TBRNI) makes multiple claims regarding Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in Northern Ireland.

Articles

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Explainer

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Law

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Peace

Was Ireland’s constitutional claim to Northern Ireland illegal?
24 July 2023
On 7 June, during an evidence session to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (NIAC) in the House of Commons, Baroness Foster was asked the following

Articles

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Economy

Is arts funding per capita almost five times higher in Ireland than it is in Northern Ireland?
4 July 2023

CLAIM: Central arts funding per capita in Northern Ireland is £4.72 per year, compared with £22.50 per person, per year in Ireland.

Rating

ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

On 10 May, the Arts Council NI claimed on Twitter: “Our Director of Arts Development @Gcampbellini & Director of Strategic Development & Partnerships @karlygreene highlight

Articles

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Environment

Does this picture show all the publicly-available green space in Northern Ireland?
28 June 2023

CLAIM: A map shared on Twitter shows the amount of green space in Northern Ireland which is available to the public.

Rating

ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

On 25 May, Irish Mirror/Belfast Live Environment Correspondent Shauna Corr shared the following image on Twitter: In her tweet, she said: “This map of Northern