claim: The cost of social division to the public purse in NI ranges between £400m and £830m every year.
evidence: This estimate of costs comes from a major paper published by Ulster University. That 2016 report clearly outlines how it arrived at the £400m-£830m range of costs, including important points about its methodology. While it remains the most recent calculation of the cost to public services of NI’s divided society, the passage of time needs to be taken into account.