Latest Fact Checks

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Economy

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Elections

Are 40,000 people in NI on the Housing Executive waiting list, with 30,000 of those in housing stress?

18 May 2022

CLAIM: Over 40,000 people in Northern Ireland are on the Housing Executive waiting list - with 30,000 of them in ‘housing stress’ - yet only around 2,000 social or affordable homes are built each year.

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The Ulster Unionist Party manifesto for the 2022 Assembly Election says: “Unfortunately, over 40,000 people in Northern Ireland are on the NI Housing Executive (NIHE)

Europe

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Explainer

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Law

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Peace

The NI Protocol: what power do local MLAs have?

16 May 2022

The NI Protocol means that Northern Ireland remains in the EU’s single market for goods – unlike England, Scotland and Wales. It was agreed by

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.

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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?

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.

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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%.

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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.

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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.