Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone who has led on this issue over the years. As I have only two and a half minutes, I cannot name everyone. This Bill and the Labour Party Bill relate to the provision of free period products, but they are also about social change in a country that will no longer accept the stigmatisation of menstruation, taboos around women's health or their bodies. Bodies and what they do is not something to be controlled, but accepted as natural and normal in all of our wonderful diversity and difference. Stigmatisation is a barrier to good health and gender equality. We see this across the board in women's health in regard to contraception, sexual health, breast-feeding and so on. This is the reason the national strategy for women and girls is so important and must be kept at the top of the agenda.

Accessibility of period products is as important as provision. Half of all teenagers and women between the ages of 12 and 19 have had difficulty paying for sanitary products. I am glad the programme for Government includes a commitment to provide them in all publicly-funded educational settings, but as provided for in the Bills and the report, we can and should go further than that. Supports for high-risk groups, including refugees, members of the Traveller community and the homeless are a must. Accessibility of products in addiction services, refuges, Garda stations, hospitals, primary care centres, public buildings and services, community centres, leisure centres and council buildings is a must. It is not just about providing the products; it is about having them in places where people need them. The lack of accessible public infrastructure must be called out as a potential issue. The lack of public toilets in this country is appalling. It is a barrier to good hygiene and health for all. In Dublin West, I am aware of a public toilet in Blanchardstown retail park and in SuperValu in the shopping centre in Roselawn. That is all. This causes a huge amount of anxiety for people. There are excellent public toilets in St. Catherine's Park, close to the playground, but only limited public toilets in the Phoenix Park, an issue I am frequently contacted about. This is also an issue raised by tourists in Dublin. This needs to change. This issue has come to prominence during Covid-19 because people cannot rely on private facilities and not everyone can do that when they are open.There are two new public toilets in Dublin city centre, so we know the demand is there. As other countries manage to provide public toilets, why can we not do so? Other countries also manage to provide changing places. Apparently, there are 15 changing places in Ireland. There are 1,500 of them in England and 40 in the North. Public spaces say much about who we are, who we accept, who we welcome, what we accept and what we prioritise.

I would like to say much more but I will finish on this. One of the recommendations in tomorrow's report should be that a survey be conducted in respect of existing public toilet infrastructure, lessons internationally and how we can empower and enable local authorities to install public toilets where they are necessary. I thank all the players present today.