4. Statement by the Leader of the House and Chief Whip: International Women's Day

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:10 pm on 6 March 2018.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 4:10, 6 March 2018

I completely agree with absolutely everything you've said. There is an issue about dignity and embarrassment, and that's very much part of the sex and healthy relationships agenda. Actually, there's a real issue in primary schools as well, because many girls start menstruating before they're 11 and move on to secondary schools, and that's a real issue for them. So, it is about making sure our entire education system is geared up to make sure that people have dignity and respect and privacy and the right equipment of whatever sort.

We are investigating the whole sustainability agenda as well, which is a huge issue, and the issue about sanitary protection, both for the individual and for the disposal and washing facilities and all the rest of it. That's why I'm saying that we want to be sure that when we bring a scheme forward it actually works for everybody in Wales, because we have various women in different stages of their menstrual and reproductive cycles, obviously.

So, it's a very important point. We are working very hard on it. We will be looking very closely at some of the trials that are going on in RCT and elsewhere, and we are talking to various homelessness charities and so on, and I've been working with the Minister for housing on some of this as well. We will be bringing forward a scheme; I just want to make sure that that scheme works for everyone and fits in with our sex and healthy relationships agenda in general.