CLAIM: Pet owners travelling from Northern Ireland to Ireland require “EU pet passports”.
CONCLUSION: True. This includes your pet being marked by a transponder (microchip) and vaccinated against rabies. There are presently no border checks for pets (as official policy); however it is uncertain what regulations will apply post-Brexit. Continue reading Do Northern Ireland pets need passports for Ireland?
CLAIM: There are 208 border crossings between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
CONCLUSION: Unproven. It is extremely difficult to accurately establish the exact number of border crossings, as many informal routes have been established since border infrastructure was removed and many are on private land, but the official number of main routes so far identified by the Irish and Northern Ireland governments is 208. Continue reading Are there 208 Ireland-Northern Ireland border crossings?
CLAIM: 60% of sales from Northern Ireland go to Great Britain.
CONCLUSION: Accurate; however the true figure is closer to 56%. Continue reading Does Northern Ireland sell 60% of its goods to Great Britain?
CLAIM: 30,000 people cross Ireland-Northern Ireland border daily.
CONCLUSION: Accurate. Indeed, this may be a low estimation, excluding train and other road journeys. Continue reading Do 30,000 people cross Ireland-Northern Ireland border daily?
CLAIM: The voting results from Northern Ireland of the EU referendum compels the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to call a border boll.
CONCLUSION: False. The Secretary of State may bring forth a border poll when presented with evidence that a majority of electors may choose to change the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. There has been no evidence yet published. Continue reading Must the SoS call a post-Brexit border poll?
CLAIM: Over a quarter of a million people migrate to the UK from the EU every year.
CONCLUSION: The claim is true, but it doesn’t include the number of people migrating from the UK to the EU: net migration in 2015 was +184,000. There is no single source that tracks migration to Northern Ireland. Medical card registrations are one method. The 2011 Census showed that 2.16% of the Northern Ireland population held an EU/EEA passport. Continue reading What is EU to Northern Ireland net migration?
