An announcement that the UK Government will commission abortion services for women in Northern Ireland has been welcomed by campaigners.
It comes as the Northern Ireland Office has confirmed it is progressing abortion services for Northern Ireland.
Abortion legislation in the region was liberalised in 2019 following laws passed by Westminster at a time when the powersharing government at Stormont had collapsed.
Read more: Only 10% of women in NI know how to access abortion services
NI Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris, said he will meet Chief Executives of Health and Social Care Trusts to ensure these services can be provided.
In a statement, he said: "Three years on from the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland, we will be ensuring the commissioning of abortion services by the UK Government.
"It is unfortunate we have been forced to commission these services, in what should be a matter for the Department of Health to implement. However, the government has been left with no other option, as women and girls of Northern Ireland have been without safe and high quality services, with many having to travel to the rest of the UK to access healthcare to which they are legally entitled. That is unacceptable.
"I will be meeting the Chief Executives of Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland in the coming weeks to ensure these services can be provided. Ultimately, it remains the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive to fund abortion services in Northern Ireland.
"The UK Government will ensure appropriate funding is available to enable healthcare professionals to take the necessary steps to ensure that essential training and recruitment of staff can progress, and services can be implemented."
Amnesty International and Informing Choices NI said the announcement is a "late but welcome step towards ending the denial of healthcare". However, the organisations have warned that services will not run as the law requires without funding being put in place at the same time that commissioned services are set up.
The news comes after Amnesty published a poll at end of last week which found that fewer than half (46%) of women in Northern Ireland are aware that abortion is lawful and only 10% know how to access services.
Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International UK’s Northern Ireland Deputy Director, said: "Today’s announcement marks a critical step towards ending the denial of abortion healthcare. Westminster has yet again had to intervene to ensure people aren’t denied their right to abortion, exposing the clear failure of Health Minister Robin Swann to protect and support women and healthcare professionals.
"It is essential that the allocation of necessary funds for these services is put in place at the same time as commissioned services are established, so they can run effectively and are accessible – not just in law but in practice.
“The Government must also run an information campaign to ensure people are aware of their right to abortion and how to access services - our poll last week showed just how few people in Northern Ireland realise abortion is now lawful.”
Alliance for Choice added they're "relieved" to hear of the progress in service provision on abortion.
Emma Campbell, Co-Convenor, said: "We welcome the Secretary of State for NI announcement detailing timely provision of full CEDAW compliant abortion services in Northern Ireland and funding. We are saddened for hundreds who have still had to travel despite the change in law.
"All abortion needs should now be accommodated by provision in Northern Ireland, where we will finally be closer to the recommendations of the United Nations as the minimum human rights standards for abortion, written into our law."
While individual health trusts offer services on an ad hoc basis, the Department of Health has yet to centrally commission the services due to a political impasse at Stormont on the issue.
Former Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis had given the administration a March 31 deadline to commission the services.
In May, with that date having passed and the Executive currently not functioning, Mr Lewis moved to introduce regulations at Westminster to break the logjam.
The regulations laid at Parliament were designed to remove the need for the Department of Health to seek the approval of the wider Stormont Executive to commission the services.
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