CommonSpace’s David Thomson speaks to Angela Constance about free sanitary products for women and girls on low incomes
IN OUR LATEST podcast interview, CommonSpace’s David Thomson caught up with the Scottish Government cabinet secretary for communities, social security and equalities, Angela Constance, to discuss the pilot in Aberdeen to have free sanitary products for women and girls on low incomes.
Last month, the Scottish Government announced that there will free sanitary products in all schools, colleges and universities across Scotland. Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, confirmed that this will happen in August 2018 in her keynote speech to the SNP conference this week.
Constance told CommonSpace: “As part of our programme for government, we have made a commitment to provide free access to sanitary products in schools, colleges and universities the length and breadth of Scotland.
“We are currently considering how best to do that because to want to provide products in a manner and in a way that respects the privacy and the dignity of women.
“That work is currently ongoing.”
In addition, there was a motion on the last day of the SNP conference to abolish tax on tampons. Gillian Martin MSP said: “Sanitary products are not an optional luxury. They’re an essential product and women should not be subject to VAT.”
Listen to the podcast in full below.
Picture courtesy of the Scottish Government
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