1. What assessment has the Cabinet Secretary made of girls missing school because they can’t afford the costs of feminine hygiene products? OAQ(5)0111(EDU)[W]

Thank you. No assessment has been made. I take the well-being of all learners very seriously, and schools should have in place arrangements to support their learners. Girls should be regularly reminded that sanitary products are available from named female staff members, if needed.

Thank you for your response, Minister, on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary. I’m sure you will be aware that a number of general questions are being asked in the sphere of education on this issue at the moment, particularly in Scotland, where there are efforts to make these products available free of charge in all schools, and there is a petition before Parliament in Westminster, as I understand it.

Now, when an inquiry was held by the previous children and young people’s committee, we looked into the educational outcomes for children from low-income households, and it’s true to say that this issue wasn’t raised as part of that inquiry, as I remember it. But, of course, it’s a very personal issue and something that is perhaps hidden and not openly discussed. Can the Minister confirm that, if a school were to use Welsh Government funding, such as the pupil deprivation grant, to pay for such products, in order to ensure that girls did feel comfortable and happy at school, or any other support to ensure that these products were available, the Government would support and encourage such an approach?

Absolutely. I’m very happy to give you that confirmation. But I think we need to go further than that. Poverty manifests itself in different ways, and we understand that different families are poor in different ways. And it’s not sufficient, just because there is no evidence at present of a problem in this field, that we don’t do anything about it. We will be investigating to ensure any evidence of this at all is found. If there is a problem that needs resolving, we will do so, and we will work with schools to ensure—as per the Member’s suggestion—if there’s a way for schools to work to ensure that girls feel at ease at school and that they’re able to learn, then we will do so. So, I want to ensure that there’s a proactive response to this to ensure that this doesn’t happen in Wales.

It’s really hard for us to think here that, in 2017, young girls across the UK, and possibly in Wales, are actually missing school because they can’t afford the sanitary protection that they need. And it is quite clear that this is an issue of poverty. So, I ask you, Cabinet Secretary—or Minister—if it’s possible for you to assess the prospect of working with schools, through charitable organisations, to provide those free sanitary wares that girls need in order to be able to take their rightful place in the classroom, and they don’t find themselves in a position of disadvantage to their educational attainment.

As I think I already said, in answer to the earlier question, poverty takes different forms, in different places, with different people, in different ways, at different times. And we have to, as a Government, ensure that we don’t simply respond to issues, but that we are proactive in ensuring that girls attending schools in Wales are not put at any disadvantage at all, and do not face embarrassment, do not face any difficulties at all, in accessing education. And if there are any issues with sanitary products at all, then we will ensure that all steps possible are taken, and are taken proactively, by schools and ourselves and others—other appropriate organisations and individuals—to ensure that these problems are identified and solved.

Minister, some of the media reports on this matter have been quite upsetting. To see young girls missing out on weeks of their education each year because of their biological make-up, and live in poverty, is unacceptable. Minister, can you update us on the discussions your Government have had with UK and European Union institutions about removing the value added tax on feminine hygiene products? And what consideration has your Government given to using your public procurement powers to purchase feminine hygiene products in bulk in order to offer them at a reduced cost price, or even free, to young girls who find themselves in this situation where they have to miss out on valuable schooling? Thank you.

As I said in answer to Simon Thomas, we would encourage and ensure that schools do, wherever necessary, use the resources available to them, to ensure that girls do have access to these products, which enables them to receive their education. I think this Government has been on the record over a long number of years in arguing that these products should not be taxed in that way.