The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Landmark Bill may provide free access to period products
Scotland will become the first country in the world to introduce free universal access to period products if a landmark Bill passes through Holyrood today.
The pioneering legislation will make it a legal requirement for sanitary products, such as tampons and towels, to be freely accessible to anyone who needs them.
It follows a campaign by Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon who has championed the issue since 2016.
The Bill, which will be voted on by MSPs today and become law if it is successful, has attracted worldwide attention since it was introduced to Holyrood last year.
Ms Lennon said: “Since I’ve been elected, back in 2016, I’ve campaigned on this pretty much every day and I’ ve been speaking to thousands of people across Scotland who have experienced the indignity of period poverty themselves.
“We ’ve got a big opportunity to be the first country in the world to pass this legislation.”
The legislation will enshrine in l aw the requirement for schools, colleges and universities to provide the products for free.
The scheme, which is estimated to cost about £8.7 million a year, will provide universal access to period products and will not be means-tested.
It will also place a duty on local authorities to make sanitary products available for all who require them and builds on the work of some councils who are already providing free tampons and sanitary towels in settings such as libraries and community centres.