The working group on fatal foetal abnormality (FFA), set up by Department of Justice and Department of Health last year, completed its report nearly a year ago, but it has yet to be released.

Stormont officials have said it will not be published “until it has been considered by the executive”, but other departments recently released key documents without ministerial sign-off.

Last week, the Department of Education said it had decided to publish a 17-month-old report into the experiences of LGBT pupils in spite of its “original view that the publication of the research should be cleared by a minister” because of “the increasing volume of enquires”.

Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland campaigns manager, said Amnesty will write to the permanent secretaries of both departments to call for the report’s publication.

She said: “Given the current political vacuum, it is essential that vital reports with significant public interest and importance like this one are made known. Political stalemate must not prevent potential progress.”