From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
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Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan TD today announced funding of €500,000 to provide free period products for students.
The funding of €250,000 to ETBs and €250,000 to publicly-funded Higher Education Institutions aims to deliver free and sustainable period products for students as part of a Government commitment under the Period Dignity scheme.
Minister O’Donovan said:
“I am pleased to announce that my Department has secured €500,000 in Budget 2024 to seek to address period indignity in further and higher educational settings.
“This initiative promotes equality and respect across our educational sector and the funding will allow my Department to further enhance work in this important area. It will also allow us to build on previous initiatives to ensure that no students are disadvantaged in their education by period indignity.”
The funding secured will allow the Department to build on previous initiatives to ensure that no students are disadvantaged in their education by period indignity.
Previously the Department worked on the ’Worryfree’ pilot which was rolled out to nine further education and training colleges across six Education and Training Boards (ETBs)
The pilot delivered free, sustainable period products and dispensers for students in participating ETBs.
Minister O’Donovan added:
“I also wish to acknowledge the great work that is already taking place across a number of Higher Education Institutions where free period products are currently available.
“I look forward to enhancing provision across campuses and reducing disadvantage in this area.”
The Programme for Government contains a commitment to provide a range of free, adequate, safe, and suitable period products in all educational publicly-funded settings (including schools, colleges and HEIs).
The funding announced will be provided to ETBs and publically funded HEIs to assist with the delivery of free, sustainable period products and dispensers for students.
In 2022, DFHERIS funded a pilot called ‘Worryfree’ was rolled across further education and training colleges across six ETBs. The pilot delivered free, sustainable period products and dispensers for students in participating ETBs.
In addition to the pilot in ETBs, other work has already been taking place across Higher Education Institutions where free period products are already available, such as ‘Code Red’ in MTU, ‘Any time of the month’ in University Limerick (UL), Brigit’s Basket in the National College of Ireland (NCI). The End Period Poverty campaign in UCD. Trinity College, DCU and Mary Immaculate College (MIC) also have similar initiatives currently running. DCU have also devised a postal service for students who are unable to access the products on campus.
The Department of Health established a Period Poverty Implementation Group, which DFHERIS attend. It is envisaged that the work of the Group will address the indignity experienced by those who may need period products every month but cannot afford them.
The DFHERIS and the Department of Health, worked collaboratively on the development of a drawdown contract for the provision of period products in education establishments and other public institutions. The OGP Cleaning, Paper, Personal Hygiene & Period Equality products Procurement Framework commenced on 1st June 2023 and will run for twenty-four months, with a maximum of two extensions of twelve months each.