A fully Government-funded abortion program is to be set up in Northern Ireland, three years after a radically permissive law was imposed by Westminster over the objections of local politicians.

The Catholic and Presbyterian Churches have called the latest move “deplorable”.

Northern Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris confirmed on Friday that he has written to Stormont’s Department of Health instructing it to formally commission the scheme

The move follows a UK intervention in October, when Mr Heaton-Harris accused the department of “continued inaction” on the issue and said it was “not right” that women and girls were unable to access a procedure to which they were “lawfully entitled”.

Rev Trevor Gribben, Clerk of the General Assembly and General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church said the decision on services was “deeply regrettable” and added that Mr Heaton-Harris had “chosen to give life to the most destructive and liberal abortion regime in these islands”.

“We should not forget that 79% of people responding to the UK Government’s 2019 abortion proposals opposed the introduction of these measures,” he said.

“Not only have these developments been an abuse of the fragile devolution settlement, but their genesis came about by a shameful manipulation of the democratic processes of the House of Commons in 2019.”