Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what her policy is on equal direct access to abortion services for women in Northern Ireland.

The Government has made arrangements that women from Northern Ireland will not be charged for termination of pregnancy services in England, and that travel support will be made available for such women who find themselves in a financial hardship situation.

However, abortion law remains a devolved matter and therefore an issue for the Northern Ireland Assembly to consider.

The Government will continue to do all it can to support the delivery of effective, stable, power-sharing devolved institutions in Northern Ireland, so that decisions on issues such as abortion are taken by locally accountable politicians.