County Council commits to free period products
Cork County Council has committed to providing free period products in all public buildings under its remit.
The confirmation follows a motion by Fianna Fáil Councillor Gobnait Moynihan who called on the council to “finish off the job” after 2022’s successful roll out of free period products across all public libraries in the county.
Cllr Moynihan had initially tabled a motion in 2021 calling for free sanitary products to be made available in all public council-run buildings.
She said: “The executive at the time were slow to move on it because they wanted guidelines on how to put the sanitary products in the toilets.
“In the meantime, the library services, in fairness to them, I have to give full credit to them and especially Eimear O’Brien – there was a grant available, they applied for it, got the funding, and put the sanitary products in all the libraries around the county.
“Fully funded by the grant, no hassle, and huge positivity coming toward the library services for providing it.
“I’m here today to see can we finish off the job and make sure they’re in all the buildings, for example, in the swimming pools, etc,” added the councillor.
Currently, Cork County Council Library and Arts Service provides free sanitary products across its network of 25 branch libraries and four mobile libraries.
In a written response to Cllr Moynihan’s motion, Cork County Council Divisional Manager, Kevin Morey, said: “The council initiative was launched in autumn 2022 following a successful application to the department to roll out the pilot programme providing free sanitary products in library branches.
“Dispensing units were installed where publicly accessed toilets were available, while packs have been made available in mobile libraries and branches without public toilets.
“Following on from this, Cork County Council will undertake an assessment of its remaining public buildings and will introduce the provision of free sanitary products on a prioritisation basis on further public buildings taking cognisance of the costs of implementing the scheme,” he concluded.