The Scottish Government should be commended for expanding access to free sanitary products for women and girls.
A £15million investment has ensured more than half a million people have access to free period products.
However, these initiatives are no substitute for a law that establishes a statutory right to these products.
Labour MSP Monica Lennon’s Bill would place a duty on Ministers to ensure universal provision of sanitary items.
With Scots Tory leader Jackson Carlaw now saying he supports the Bill, every opposition party is in favour of the plan.
However, the SNP remains inexplicably opposed to a Bill that commands the support of campaign groups and trade unions.
Cabinet Secretary Aileen Campbell bizarrely tried to claim that people outside Scotland could take the tampons and sell them at a discount price.
Little wonder SNP members are puzzled and have started to rebel.
About 70 members have signed an open letter calling for the SNP to rethink their position on this important Bill.
This call should be heeded. The Government’s opposition is perplexing and it is hard to avoid the conclusion they do not want to help a Labour MSP.
Period poverty is real and should be tackled. The Government must ditch the silly objections and make Scotland a word leader in this area.
Fuel bid a no-brainer
Fuel poverty is one of the scourges of 21st century Scotland, with 619,000 households classed as poor.
The problem has worsened under the Tory Government, whose gimmicky policies have done little to help.
One worthwhile initiative is the Quick Credit Voucher scheme, first piloted in Hamilton. Pioneered by Scottish Power, it gave the poorest families access to £50 of non-repayable credit.
The pilot was rolled out and vulnerable individuals received help with energy bills.
SNP MSP Christina McKelvie has come up with an excellent idea to ensure this scheme becomes embedded. She wants Ofgem to use the fines it receives from energy firms to fund a voucher scheme on a country wide basis.
The idea seems a no-brainer. The watchdog should sit down with stakeholders and make it a reality.
