Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of free period products at (a) primary care and (b) secondary care settings in England.

The Government recognises the importance of women and girls being able to access the care they need for their reproductive health, including period products.

Since 2019 it has been a requirement in the NHS Standard Contract that the National Health Service must offer period products to every hospital patient who needs them. This requirement applies to inpatient services only. It does not currently apply to providers of community or ambulance services, or to primary care providers, like general practices, pharmacies, optometrists, and dentists, who generally operate outside of the NHS Standard Contract.