AQW 21136/22-27

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 22/01/2025
Answered On Date: 09/07/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail any changes their Department will make by the end of the 2024-25 financial year on how it monitors levels of period poverty.

Answer:

The Department has no responsibility for monitoring levels of period poverty. However, under section 1 of the Period Products (Free Provision) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, TEO, in partnership with Libraries NI, are providing period products throughout the Libraries NI network of 96 static and 11 mobile libraries.

Free products have been accessible from May 2024 to anyone who needs to use them regardless of economic status.

To date over one million items have been collected from Library premises.