Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this debate and I welcome that the issue of access to period products is being discussed in the House. That said, I am disappointed that the reason the Government has at last raised the issue is because of a rushed Bill in response to one I introduced. This is a Government Bill that has been considered at Cabinet but it is unlikely to be constitutional because it delegates power to a Minister without setting proper procedures, principles and policies for any regulations being introduced, as is required in the context of delegated legislation. I have no doubt that this legislation was tabled in response to my Bill. I am disappointed that we could not work on a cross-party basis to put substantial, comprehensive legislation in place and, more importantly, a comprehensive, effective scheme to help all those who use period products, regardless of their circumstances.

Many people in this House have worked on this issue for a long time. In particular, Senator Boylan was very much to the forefront in the European Parliament, as was her colleague on South Dublin County Council.

A Bill enabling the Minister to develop a limited scheme does not go far enough. That is clearly the indication coming from the Government's report issued today, which shows it has decided that yet more debate, more research and more can-kicking are needed. However, I want to see this issue progressed, because I fundamentally believe in period justice and universal access to free period products. To that end, I will seek to amend and campaign for whatever Bill emerges from the Government.

I do not simply want a limited scheme in order that the Government can say it has addressed the issue of period poverty without considering period justice, dignity and the stigma associated with periods. I fundamentally believe in universal access to period products and that we need to stop treating period products as if they are any different from the other basic hygiene products that we find in toilets, such as toilet roll or soap. These are basic hygiene products and those who use and need them deserve respect.

When I was a member of Dublin City Council, I pressed for a scheme to provide free period products and then got money allocated in the budget for it. I did this not on the basis of limited access, but on the basis that it would be available in all our buildings in Dublin city. The Government report released today confirms that this was not abused and that people did not use it to replace the normal period products they use.

When the Minister of State leaves his house for the day, he does not pop in his bag a roll of toilet paper or put a few sheets in his back pocket just in case. Nobody talks about toilet paper poverty and there are no reports recommending that more data needs to be collected on the use of toilet paper because it is considered to be a basic hygiene product that we all understand should be universally provided. Every single Government building has it, as does every single school, every social welfare office, every library, every recreation centre and every swimming pool. In recent months, every shop or building we enter has had a hand sanitiser dispenser available because we decided that it was up to everyone to provide the products needed to help stop the spread of the virus which has changed our world.

In 2019, the climate action plan provided that no Government agency or Department should buy single-use plastics. The shared facilities management unit had to implement this and it has now been extended it to all the bodies under the aegis of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. When it comes to period products, however, it has taken over a year to come up with a report suggesting that more data is needed when it is not.

In contrast to this one-liner of a Bill, I introduced legislation to make period products free of charge in schools, educational facilities and public service bodies.We underpinned the obligation to provide period products with core principles such as ease of access and respecting the dignity of those using them; ensuring that people had a choice of products; promoting environmental sustainability, such as the use of non-plastic options; and, most important, ongoing consultation with users about what they want. At this stage I thank Ms Monica Lennon, a member of the Scottish Parliament who introduced legislation there and who has helped us.

This is not perfect legislation and more work is needed, which is why I wanted to engage cross-party support, contacting the women's caucus and cross-party group on reproductive health. Instead, the Government has decided to formulate its own Bill, which is fair enough, but it could have put in more work. We have been engaging with groups all over the country on the wider matter and more than 3,000 people have responded to a survey in this process. I will use the experience of those people and groups when drafting amendments. It is the experience of the people who use period products that matters.

We do not need more reports, research or data collection. What we need are guiding principles about putting period products in every bathroom and building in all schools, colleges and public buildings. We need the Government to stop overcomplicating this matter and we need it to stop looking for reasons to justify restricting access to free period products for all who use them. Just put them in the toilets.