Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for highlighting the issue of period poverty and for the opportunity to discuss the work the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth have undertaken on this matter.

I thank the proposers of the Bill, Senators Clifford-Lee, Ardagh and Fitzpatrick, and the proposers of the second Bill: Senators Moynihan, Wall, Sherlock, Hoey and Bacik. I am very thankful for the co-operation of Senators today. I am a Minister in the Department and I happen to be a man. However, I want to work with Senators with empathy. I want to do this for mná na hÉireann and equality in general, for wives, sisters, daughters, friends and colleagues, and for the wider considerations of compassion and fairness.

We will do the right thing by this issue. The Government is supporting this period poverty Bill and I look forward to bringing it to other Stages and to discussing it with the parliamentary women's caucus. I thank Senator O'Loughlin, Deputy Catherine Martin and others who were on the parliamentary women's caucus for progressing this. This is very helpful. I again thank Senator Moynihan and her colleagues. I understand that they have a Bill and I hope we will be able to deal with the issues in the coming weeks and months. I also thank Senator Boylan. I understand that, as an MEP, she progressed this issue as well.Senator Boyhan talked about taboos, shame and stigma which are issues that we must address. Senator Conway raised several issues and Senator Currie talked about social change and referred to a survey about public toilets and conveniences. These are things that we do not really notice until we start discussing the complexities of a Bill like this. I am sure there will be a lot more discussion on this. Senator Moynihan spoke about period justice and stigma and also referred to basic hygiene products. Senator Sherlock raised similar issues and more or less said we should get on with it and that is what the Government must do. Senator Pauline O'Reilly spoke about the 53,000 to 85,000 people at risk of period poverty. She also spoke about peoples' pockets and saving the planet. Senator Boylan made reference to Ms Claire Hunt. I have not met Ms Hunt but have heard her name mentioned frequently and I pay tribute to her for the work she has done in this area. Senator Clifford-Lee also mentioned Ms Hunt. Senator Black spoke about school and the cost of period products. She also used the words "shame", "stigma" and "taboo" which came up time and again. These are words we should not have to use in this day and age but unfortunately, they are appropriate. Senator Seery Kearney talked about education, normalisation and a diversity of choice which is exactly what is needed here. I look forward to working with her on this in the coming weeks. I thank Senator Aisling Dolan for her contribution. She also urged us to progress this issue without further delay.

The issue of period poverty, defined as the inability to afford period products such as sanitary towels and tampons, is an internationally recognised health and social issue. It has significant consequences for the women, girls, transgender and non-binary people affected in terms of their exclusion during their period from educational, employment, recreational or social settings. The effects of period poverty on social engagement as well as on physical and mental health are of significant concern, especially given the reported high levels of shame and embarrassment around periods. Help may be needed but it is difficult to ask. Potential impacts on physical health include an increased risk of infection due to an inability to change sanitary products at recommended intervals or from using inappropriate, improvised products or materials. Period poverty and period pain may also be relevant in terms of both school absences and missing out on sports, physical education and physical activity generally, which are vital for overall health and well-being. Physical activity levels are significantly lower in teenage girls than in teenage boys.

The cost of managing periods in terms of sanitary products and pain relief has been estimated at over €121 per annum. Period poverty and the anxiety accompanying it has a disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups including the homeless, those experiencing active addiction, teenage girls and disadvantaged groups. Several jurisdictions have introduced measures recently to address the individual and societal impacts of period poverty. These often include reduced or zero-rated VAT or equivalent sales taxes on period products. In the Republic of Ireland, sanitary towels and tampons are already taxed at 0%. This measure was put in place prior to EU VAT harmonisation in the early 1990s. As many Senators pointed out, Scotland recently passed a Bill providing for local authorities to ensure that anyone who needs period products can obtain them free of charge, while Wales and England have provided free period products in schools. A number of pilot projects have been initiated in Northern Ireland. A number of local authorities in this country have passed motions on period poverty since 2018 and schemes to make products available have been piloted by Dublin City Council, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and South Dublin County Council. Period poverty, in addition to its adverse effects on inclusion and health and well-being, is also an equality and equity concern. The financial cost of period products contributes to gender inequality, while varying capacity to afford sanitary products creates inequality among women and girls in Ireland. Women from lower socioeconomic groups are often at greater risk of poor health and experience lower life expectancy than women from other groups and circumstances.

Recognising these factors, in early 2019 the Irish Women's Parliamentary Caucus proposed motions that were passed in this House and in the Dáil calling on the Government to introduce measures to mitigate period poverty. The issue is very relevant to the cross-government work on the national strategy for women and girls which aims to advance the rights of women and girls and enable their full participation in Irish society. Consequently, the strategy committee established a cross-sectoral sub-committee on period poverty chaired by my Department.

With due regard to the breath of this issue, the sub-committee had representation from the Departments of Justice, Education, Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Social Protection and Finance, in addition to Health. The HSE, the Local Government Management Association, the Irish Prison Service, Tusla, the National Women's Council of Ireland, the Union of Students of Ireland and the voluntary sector, including the National Traveller Women's Forum and One Family, were also represented, with presentations and submissions from other NGOs, including Plan International, Homeless. Ireland, the Coolmine Therapeutic Centre, Merchants Quay Ireland and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. I thank all participants and commend their valuable work on this important topic, led by the Departments of Health and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in partnership with a wide range of sectors.

I am delighted to announce that the sub-committee recently completed its report which was released today. The findings show that information on the prevalence of period poverty is limited, in particular regarding women over the age of 19. However, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Various voluntary sector organisations working with the homeless and those experiencing active addiction have been very clear that period poverty is an issue for the people they serve.

It is also likely that those living in consistent poverty and, in particular, those who need to use food banks are at high risk. Unfortunately, many food bank operators have advised that they do not stock period products. Based on consistent poverty data from the CSO survey of income and living conditions, 2019 population estimates and participation in the fund for European aid to the most deprived programme, we can calculate that in Ireland between 53,000 and 85,000 women and girls aged between ten and 54 years may be at high risk of poverty.

The key recommendations of the report are to gather more data by surveys, studies and focus groups to provide a comprehensive and reliable evidence base regarding the prevalence of period poverty in Ireland; address the stigma associated with periods by the provision of diverse information resources; engage with the most vulnerable groups such as, for example, the homeless, those living with active addiction, those in various forms of long-term State accommodation and minority ethnic communities, including Travellers and Roma, to ensure they can obtain an adequate supply of period products in a stigma free manner; consider the provision of products on gender equity grounds by, for example, providing period products in the bathrooms of public buildings and facilities that provide State-funded services; and engage with charities and food banks serving vulnerable cohorts to ensure they have an adequate supply of period products for clients through food banks or by funding for provision of products on-site. I have listened to many Senators say that we should get on with it, but it will take time for this legislation come through. However, I will talk to my officials and perhaps we can immediately provide some form of funding to some of these charities and food banks to provide period products through those bodies. That might be something we can do immediately. I will work with my Department as quickly as I can. The report recommends continuing with negotiations at EU level to give greater flexibility to member states for lower VAT rates on newer and more sustainable period products, which, unlike the zero VAT rated tampons and sanitary towels, are currently VAT rated at 23%, and developing a systems approach and co-ordinated funding mechanisms to address period poverty in a co-ordinated way across the Government and through a range of the public services that it provides.

The Bill we are debating was introduced in the Seanad parallel with the finalisation of the report. I commend my Seanad colleagues on introducing the Bill on this important topic. To be clear, the Government supports the Free Provision of Period Products Bill 2021. However, given that these were parallel processes, the text of the Bill does not fully take into account the recommendations of the report. The Government has agreed that further development of the Bill will take into account the findings and recommendations of the report on period poverty. There are complex issues which should be considered in any proposed legislation. The breadth, depth and variety of public services mean that interventions to tackle period poverty would have to be managed across a wide range of Departments and State agencies, as well as independent and voluntary organisations which provide services funded by the State but which are nonetheless under independent governance.

It is an anomaly that bathrooms accessed by the public provide most items required in bathrooms for free - paper, soap and hand-washing facilities are standard. Why are period products exempted? That point was made by many Senators. The bins for their disposal are in place so their existence is acknowledged, but the products are not provided.

The Government has agreed to seek cross-Government, interdepartmental, inter-agency and societal support for the Bill and related implementation measures. The Government also agrees that all-party support for the Bill through engagement with the Houses of the Oireachtas women's parliamentary caucus should be sought prior to further progression of the Bill. I thank the members of the parliamentary women's caucus, the proposers of this Bill, the proposers of the Labour Party Bill and the Members present for this important debate and their engagement with this issue. I look forward to further progress and engagement on it.