Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What a shame it is that Ms Claire Hunt from Homeless Period Ireland cannot be here today because she has, from her kitchen table, provided menstrual dignity to thousands. She has sought no plaudits or awards. In fact, all she wants is for Homeless Period Ireland not to exist. When the cross-party motion was passed in the Dáil and Seanad, it was seen as a really positive step towards making this happen. All political parties were on board to ensure no one who menstruates should have to exclude themselves from daily activities due to an inability to access period products.

The events of the past fortnight have been so disappointing because it seems that period poverty Bills are like buses now in that, after waiting ages for one, two come along at once. In this case, however, we were all informed about the first one. In fact, the driver, Senator Moynihan, invited us all on board to make sure that it was fit for purpose and that our experiences of working on the issue could be incorporated when it came to any amendments. I guess that, as they say in politics, we are where we are. Sinn Féin will support the Bill today. It will work with anybody and everybody over the coming months to make sure the amendments that are essential are passed to improve the legislation.

The issue of period poverty is part and parcel of the broader issue of poverty in society. It is the condition of not having enough money to live one's life. If people are living in poverty, it cannot be compartmentalised. It affects every part of people's lives, including how people feel about themselves.I have been a volunteer driver with Homeless Period Ireland for a number of years and the places to which period products are delivered are not stand-alone facilities, set up only to distribute period products. They are food banks, domestic violence refuges, direct provision centres, homeless charities and addiction services. The Department of Health period poverty report flagged that while we, apparently, do not have enough data on the scale of period poverty, we know that there are probably between 53,000 and 85,000 people at risk of period poverty. While the Bill is indeed welcome, recognising the issue of poverty and how it disproportionately impacts women and girls is a critical part of the solution.

An ESRI report showed that from 2008, budgetary policies, including changes to the tax and benefits system, hit lone parents harder. It left women with greater income reductions than men. These were Government decisions that pushed women into period poverty. The period poverty report also noted that there was a significant incidence of period poverty among those experiencing homelessness and addiction, those living in abusive relationships and minority and ethnic communities. We know for a fact that the number of women in every one of those categories has increased this year. More than 2,000 women are rough sleeping and that does not include the women in Tusla facilities, religious shelters, or who have a right to remain in the country but are stuck in direct provision services. That brings the figure closer to 3,000. Direct provision services have existed in this country since 1999 but it was only in 2019 that the Government saw fit to provide period products to them. I do not know what the Government expected the women to use until then. Even then, because the direct provision model we have in this State is a for-profit model, those running the centres sourced the cheapest products available so that they could profit on the back of women bleeding.

For the women living in abusive relationships and at risk of period poverty, there is a lack of refuge spaces. There is not a single space in nine counties because they do not have a domestic violence refuge at all. With all the gusto that is being shown regarding period poverty, I hope to see the same enthusiasm in addressing the systemic issue of poverty.