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I am really pleased that the Scottish Parliament passed the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill yesterday. My colleague Monica Lennon MSP deserves praise for the excellent work that she did to take this Bill through parliament.
Back in February, which does seem like a very long time age. I called on all of my MSPs to support this Bill. I am pleased that the Bill was passed unanimously in the Scottish Parliament yesterday.
A lot of good work is already going on in Dundee. I know that great work has gone at both Harris Academy and St John's High School on delivering free period products, helping young people from the West End. Dundee City Council and Leisure and Culture Dundee have also done good work on this issue. Back in February I was pleased to hear from Sharon Sweeney at the University of Dundee about how the University was dealing with the issue.
A Young Scot survey back in 2018 demonstrated the need for this policy. Around a quarter of respondents in secondary school, college or university (26%) and those not in education (24%) said they had struggled to access sanitary products in the previous year.
From now on local authorities will have a duty to distribute free period products to people who need them. I will continue to monitor how Dundee City Council will be developing this policy to make sure that as many people are helped as possible.
Yesterday was a good day for the Scottish Parliament. This shows devolution at its best. Well done to Monica Lennon and the other campaigners who have made a real difference here.