Latest Fact Checks

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Education and jobs in NI: Does Derry/Londonderry have the lowest employment rate in NI?

4 May 2026

CLAIM: Derry/Londonderry has the lowest employment rate and second-lowest proportion of school leavers heading into Higher Education in Northern Ireland.

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ACCURATE/INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION.

In a 21 April article for the Belfast Telegraph, journalist and policy expert Paul Gosling claimed that: “Derry has Northern Ireland’s lowest employment rate alongside

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Health

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Topics

Health in NI: Do ambulances respond to less than 20% of suspected heart attacks within the target time?

30 April 2026

CLAIM: Fewer than one in five suspected heart attack and stroke patients in Northern Ireland get an ambulance in target time, compared to almost half across the border. Just 18.5% of Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) Category 2 calls were responded to within the service’s 18-minute target, whereas 45% of equivalent RED calls in the Republic were responded to within 19 minutes during 2025.

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IT'S COMPLICATED

In a Written Question to the Health Minister answered on 28 March, SDLP MLA Justin McNulty asked the minister: “For his assessment of the figures

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Economy

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Environment

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Topics

Farming in NI: Are beef cattle numbers at their lowest level for 55 years?

22 April 2026

CLAIM: The total number of beef cattle has fallen by 21% in the past decade. The drop since 2018 has been especially sharp. Current beef cattle numbers are lower than any year since 1970.

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ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

During a 23 March debate on agricultural support payments in relation to Areas with Natural Constraints (ANCs), Sinn Féin MLA Declan McAleer claimed: “The evidence

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Education

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Health

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Topics

Gambling in NI: Are 3% of adults addicted to gambling?

15 April 2026

CLAIM: In Northern Ireland, around 3% of all adults meet the threshold for gambling addiction while 14% of people who gamble say they have bet more than they can afford to lose.

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ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

During a 16 March debate on the criminal justice system, Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan claimed that: “Around 3% of adults meet the threshold for

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Health

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Topics

Health in NI: Do 40% of women wrongly believe cervical smear tests for ovarian cancer?

7 April 2026

CLAIM: 40% of women mistakenly believe cervical screening tests for ovarian cancer.

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ACCURATE

During a 16 March debate on a women’s health strategy, DUP MLA Diane Forsythe claimed that: “Target Ovarian Cancer reports that 40% of women mistakenly

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Economy

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Health

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Topics

Mental health in NI: Does mental ill health cost us £3.4bn per year?

1 April 2026

CLAIM: Poor mental health costs Northern Ireland £3.4bn every year. Mental health receives around 7% of the health budget – a lower proportion than elsewhere in the UK and Ireland. Around 80% of the actions in the current mental health strategy are paused because of a lack of funding.

Rating

ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION

In a 16 February debate in the Assembly around mental health data, Sinn Féin MLA Órlaithí Flynn claimed: “Mental ill health costs our society £3.4