Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 February 2023
107. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education if she can clarify the policy of her Department in relation to the provision of free period products in secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7487/23]
View answerThe Programme for Government (PFG) includes the commitment to ‘provide a range of free, adequate, safe, and suitable period products in all educational publicly-funded settings (including schools, colleges and HEIs), to ensure that no students are disadvantaged in their education by period poverty.’
The Government has taken the decision to support the Private Members’ Bill, the Free Provision of Period Products Bill, 2021 (Bill 4) which seeks to make period products freely available to all those who need them. It has also been agreed that the recommendations of the 2021 Discussion Paper on Period Poverty in Ireland will be taken into account in the development of the Bill.
To co-ordinate all of the work here, an implementation group, led by the Department of Health has been established. My Department is represented on this group and is engaging with it to determine how best these commitments will be taken forward in the context of schools and to ensure no students are disadvantaged in their education by period poverty as committed in the Programme for Government.
