Sexual health provider Marie Stopes UK has announced it will no longer charge fees for women travelling from Northern Ireland to England for abortions.

According to the organisation, the decision comes after a Government commitment to fund the treatment through the Equalities Office.

Women who have already received treatment after Friday 30 June will be refunded their consultation and treatment costs.

Marie Stopes became the first independent clinic on the island of Ireland to offer abortion services within the local legal framework when it opened a clinic in Belfast in 2012.

However, Abortion laws in Northern Ireland remain different from those across the rest of the UK, with abortion illegal unless the life or mental health of the woman is deemed to be at serious risk.

Ideally these services would be provided in Northern Ireland itself, but until that happens, this is an important step forward. Sally Bassett, Marie Stopes UK

Campaigners who want to see the law brought into line with the rest of the UK have pointed to the increased costs for women for Northern Ireland – in both travel and having to pay for abortion services which they have not been entitled to on the NHS.

Last month, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that the Government would fund abortions for women travelling from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK to access such services.

Sally Bassett, acting Managing Director at Marie Stopes UK,said: “The Government has advised us that its decision to fund Northern Irish women was with immediate effect.

“We are working closely with government partners to establish how this will work in practice, but we believe it is right to remove fees for Northern Irish women while this conversation is ongoing, and to refund women who have received treatment since the announcement.

“We are delighted to be working with government to implement this change, which will substantially reduce the cost of abortion for Northern Irish women.”