Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 information: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.


Information requested

  • How many locations (roughly) are offering free period products in Scotland?
  • How much money does the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 save the average person in Scotland?
  • How much funding has been provided by the Scottish Government to ensure free period products are available in public places across Scotland?

When responding to your request, I have interpreted “public places” to mean community and education (schools, colleges and university) settings.

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. The reasons why we do not have the information are explained below.

This is therefore a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.

Locations

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of locations offering free period products in Scotland. This is because such information is not routinely collated by the Scottish Government.

Under the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 (the Act) the duty to ensure that everyone in Scotland who menstruates can have reasonably convenient access to period products, free of charge, as and when they are required, rests with local authorities and education providers (responsible bodies).

Subject to the statutory requirements of the Act, it is for individual local authorities to decide what works best in their area, responding to local needs and circumstances. The duty on education providers requires them to make products obtainable in at least one location in each building normally used by students. In meeting their duties, responsible bodies have a responsibility to publish a statement on their arrangements and provide information to the public about where and how period products can be obtained for free.

You may be interested in the PickupMyPeriod app and MyPeriod website, developed by Hey Girls, which allow people to identify locations where period products can be accessed for free in Scotland. It should be noted however that local authorities are responsible for uploading the locations to the locator app and website. Therefore, the Scottish Government does not know how accurately these tools reflect all of the locations across Scotland offering free products.

Savings

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the amount of money that the Act saves the average person in Scotland, as such information is not collated by the Scottish Government.

In establishing any savings, it should be noted that this will be dependent on a number of variable factors such as the amount a person spent on products before accessing them for free and whether they are solely dependent on free products.

Funding

Since 2018 to date, the Scottish Government has invested £46,897,949 to fund access to free period products across a range of settings including schools, colleges, universities, wider public spaces and targeted access through community groups for those on low incomes.

This funding includes the voluntary arrangements that were in place prior to the Act coming into force in August 2022.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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