Will the Commission explain why female sanitary products are provided in male toilets across the Senedd estate?
The Commission provides sanitary products across the estate as part of a wider commitment to wellbeing, dignity, and accessibility. When the initiative was introduced, a number of factors were taken into consideration, including ensuring general access to the products to help address ‘period poverty’ and enabling products to be collected by anyone for colleagues or visitors who require them unexpectedly.
The Commission is also aware that such sanitary provisions can also be of assistance to men dealing with certain health conditions, including certain types of cancer and/or incontinence. This is why sanitary disposal facilities are provided in male toilets, allowing privacy for anyone who needs to dispose of personal hygiene or continence products.
To ensure consistency and ease of access and following consideration of a proposal from the Commission's Trades Union Side (TUS), the decision was, therefore, taken to adopt a consistent approach to the provision of sanitary products in all toilet facilities across the estate.
The decision also took into account that the annual cost of providing sanitary products in all facilities would be less than the previous annual rental costs incurred by the Commission for the provision of sanitary products’ vending machines in female toilets only.
In terms of facilities, the Senedd estate is – and has always been – fully compliant with the recent Supreme Court ruling and the new guidance issued by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.