Free period products to be rolled out at Irish universities to combat period indignity

Free period products will be rolled out at many Irish universities and colleges in a bid to ensure students are not disadvantaged due to their period. 

That's according to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan TD, who today (May 7) 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 (HEIs) 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." 

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." 

Other work has already been taking place across HEIs 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), and the ‘End Period Poverty’ campaign in UCD. 

Trinity College, DCU and Mary Immaculate College (MIC) also have similar initiatives currently running, with DCU devising a postal service for students who are unable to access products on campus. 

Ireland's publicly-funded universities include University College Dublin, University College Cork, University of Galway, Maynooth University, University of Limerick, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, Technological University Dublin, Munster Technological University, Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, Atlantic Technological University, and South East Technological University.