Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the extension of the Northern Ireland abortion scheme to include the provision of free travel for Northern Irish women seeking abortion from a certain income bracket will have on the autonomy of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Providing support for travel costs for those who meet financial hardship criteria does not impact on the autonomy of the Northern Ireland Assembly. This scheme does not change the fundamental position that the Abortion Act 1967 does not apply to Northern Ireland. Abortion legislation, and the provision of abortion services in Northern Ireland, are a matter for Northern Ireland.