Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have opted in to period product provision; and whether his Department has plans to extend the scheme to (a) primary schools, (b) NHS facilities and (c) public spaces.

Through the period product scheme, state-maintained schools and 16 to 19 education organisations in England can access free period products. This includes state-maintained primary and secondary schools, including academies and free schools, state-maintained middle and all through schools, general hospital schools, special schools, academies and free schools, alternative provision organisations, including pupil referral units, and university technical colleges and studio schools. The scheme launched in January 2020 and we continue to monitor uptake closely. We will publish further information in due course.

NHS facilities and other public spaces do not fall within the department’s remit. NHS England announced in March 2019 that it will offer period products to every hospital patient who needs them, including long-term in-patients.