In practice, hydrogen could be an equally safe alternative to natural gas.
13 Aug 2021 | Full Fact's weekly news
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FACT CHECK
Headlines exaggerate danger of hydrogen boilers
A front-page article in the Telegraph, and reports in several other papers including the Sun, Mirror and MailOnline, as well as specialist publication Recharge, claim that hydrogen boilers pose a greater risk than conventional gas boilers and could cause four times as many explosions and injuries.
All the articles claim that hydrogen boilers could cause 39 explosions and 65 injuries or fatalities each year, compared to the nine explosions and 17 injuries or fatalities estimated to be caused by the natural gas boilers currently in use.
However, these estimates are used to compare the explosive potential of the two gases, not to predict what would happen in the real world, where many conditions would be different.
The reported figures come from a safety assessment conducted by engineering consultant Arup as part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) Hy4Heat initiative, which aims “to establish if it is technically possible, safe and convenient to replace natural gas (methane) with hydrogen in residential and commercial buildings and gas appliances”.
A BEIS spokesperson told Full Fact: “Elements of this report have been cherry-picked when in fact, it concludes hydrogen can be made as safe as natural gas."
The report in context ([link removed])
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FACT CHECK
Higher deportation rates don’t necessarily demonstrate ‘disproportionate targeting’ of Jamaicans ([link removed])
The Guardian recently reported that data it had obtained via the Freedom of Information Act suggested that people from Caribbean countries like Jamaica appear to be disproportionately targeted for deportation from the UK if they commit crimes.
Disproportionate targeting might be a reason Jamaicans appear to be deported more frequently than other foreign nationals. But there are also other possible reasons for the variance which aren’t addressed in the article.
For example, nationals of some countries may be more likely to qualify for exemption from deportation under human rights and refugee law.
The Guardian’s use of the data does not reliably tell us what the rates of deportation to different countries are, nor is it evidence that people from certain countries are disproportionately targeted. That is possible, although the Home Office denies it.
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FACT CHECK
** What extra expenses can MPs claim if they have children? ([link removed])
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We’ve been asked by readers to check a viral claim on Twitter that says: “The £5,435 an MP gets to feed *each* of their children (on top of their salary) is more than the £3,087.96 a Universal Credit claimant gets each year.”
MPs do not get a specific allowance to feed their children. However, if MPs are outside of London they can claim the costs of accommodation in relation to a property either in London or their constituency.
As part of this budget, if an MP has caring responsibilities they can claim an extra £5,500 for each dependent for whom they need to provide accommodation, up to a maximum of three. This includes children. The figure used in the post was the additional budget last year, at £5,435 per dependant.
£3,087 is the standard annual allowance for Universal Credit from October 2021 for someone aged under 25 who is single. Claimants with children receive more than this.
Full info on expenses ([link removed])
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