Ministers urged to lead the fight to tackle period poverty

● ‘World is watching’ urges MSP behind call for new legislation

0 Under the plan, sanitary products would be provided free A proposal aimed at tackling period poverty in Scotland would be difficult to reject if the world is watching, according to the MSP behind it.

Labour’s Monica Lennon launched a consultation yesterday for a members’ bill aimed at ending the problem.

The legislation would create a new duty on ministers to introduce a universal system of free provision of sanitary products.

In addition, schools, colleges and universities would be required to provide free items for women and girls in their toilets.

Under the proposals, that duty could be extended to other organisations at a later date, following a review.

Ms Lennon, Labour’s inequalities spokeswoman at Holyrood, said: “Periods don’t take into account what you have in your purse or your pocket. They happen when you’re at work, in the classroom and that gym class you’ve been avoiding. Periods can occur at any time or any place, whether you’re ten years old or 50 years old.”

She added: “The hard work really begins now, the last year has just been a warm up to this. If people feel like Scotland is doing this already and the world is watching, if we just keep that pressure up, I think it’s going to be very hard for MSP colleagues to say no.”

As the system would be opt-in, not everyone who could is expected to take part in it. Researchers from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre estimate a 10 per cent uptake rate would cost between £1,777,000 and £2,210,000.

This is expected to come through Scottish Government budgets via allocation to other authorities and organisations.

In July, the Scottish Government announced a six-month pilot project which will see free sanitary projects handed out to those in need in Aberdeen.

At least 1,000 women and girls from low-income homes should benefit from the trial, which ministers have supported with £42,500 of funding.

New York City Council unanimously backed measures to provide free sanitary products in schools, prisons and homeless shelters last year.

South Lanarkshire College in East Kilbride introduced free products for staff and students in January as a means to tackle stigma and improve focus.

Nicola Fisher, president of the Educational Institute of Scotland, backed the proposal.