Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairperson. It is great to see her here today as chair of the Irish Women's Parliamentary Caucus. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan. It is clear that there is cross-party support for immediate movement on this matter. I am proud to stand here and I thank my colleagues who have done so much work in introducing this Bill. I am in awe of the work that Senators Clifford-Lee and Moynihan have done here and in councils.

This matter impacts on girls and women and inherent human rights to hygiene, and just not having infections. To think of young girls, women and trans people who cannot afford to purchase what they need for periods or to access pain relief is mind-boggling. We have details from the evidence in this report. There is stigma and people cannot talk about the issue openly, which is a problem. Girls sometimes do not go to school or even stop taking part in sport. We all know about this, that it happened and that it is still happening. I am aware that some sanitary towels and tampons are not subject to VAT but there is still a significant cost.

I welcome this report and its initiation by the Irish Women's Parliamentary Caucus, as well as the incredible work over the 14 months by the sub-committee chaired by the Department of Health, including the international statistics that were gathered. A few statistics really stood out for me. Between 53,000 and 85,000 women are at risk of period poverty, with especially high risk among groups subject to homelessness and addiction. Over 86% of lone parents are women and they are a group at high risk of poverty. In 2019, the State supported more than 44,000 women with exceptional needs payments. Today the State is supporting nearly 600,000 on the pandemic unemployment payment and with unemployment assistance, which is down to Covid and the lockdown. The impact on the retail, hospitality, travel and tourism sectors has affected women, especially young women, more than any other group. Women have always been at a higher risk of poverty for many reasons, as has been mentioned by my colleagues, whether they are single parents or in abusive relationships.

All that I can add to what my colleagues have said is that we need to see this happening quickly. Dublin City Council has set an example. I would like to see our councils in Galway and Roscommon supported to be able to run these programmes and deliver this, whether through libraries or schools. The women who have accessed the exceptional needs payment from the Department of Social Protection have to be the first group that we deal with. We need to look at how we provide this through State-run institutions or support it in local authorities.

The United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 33/10 on 29 September 2016 states that a lack of menstrual health management and stigma associated with menstruation both have a negative impact on gender equality and on women's and girls' enjoyment of human rights, including the right to education and the right to health. This is a basic human right.