King’s Speech

Lord Touhig Excerpts

Tuesday 19th May 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Touhig (Lab)]

My Lords, I am sure I am not alone in thinking that the contributions of the two noble Lords in their maiden speeches today have enriched this House, and I look forward to their contributions in the future.

I declare my interest as a vice-president of the National Autistic Society, an honour I share with my friend the noble Baroness, Lady Browning. A while ago I visited an autistic unit in a mainstream school, where the head was very keen that I should meet a pupil who had behavioural problems and was about to move on to a comprehensive school. “You’ve heard I’ve got behavioural problems”, he said to me when we met. “Yes”, I said, “I have”. “I’m trying to do something about it”, he said, looking for approval from his head teacher. “Have you heard I’m going to comprehensive school?” I said, “Yes. Are you looking forward to it?” He answered, “Yes, and I’ve decided on my career”. “Have you?” I said, “What are you going to do?” He said, “I’m going to become a High Court judge, and I tell you now, if you come up before me, you’ll get a lenient sentence”. Who knows? Perhaps he will become a High Court judge. I know that, as a result of the education and support he had at that school, he has a future.

I wish that were the case for all autistic children, but it is not. Some 74% of parents think their autistic child’s school place does not meet their needs, and 26% of autistic pupils feel unhappy at school. To be fair, the Government’s proposed SEND reforms are most welcome. In particular, the plan to ensure that every child with SEND has an individual support plan is good. This has the potential to make a real difference to the lives of autistic children and their families. However, further clarity is needed.

Issues remain around accountability for the plans and the lack of legal options to challenge inadequate support if a plan is not implemented fully. More information is needed on how education and health care plans will be restricted to those with what the Government call “more complex needs”. The Government must clarify what will be considered more complex needs. Parents urgently need clarity on what support their child can expect for their level of need. There are doubts about the level of funding. The funding set aside does not match the level of ambition proposed, particularly the investment in staff training programmes. Adequate funding is the only way to guarantee that these reforms are not implemented in a haphazard way.

I have some questions for my noble friend. Do the Government plan to ensure that there are legal mechanisms for parents to hold providers accountable for implementing individual support plans effectively and appropriately? How do the Government intend to ensure the meaningful involvement of families in the assessment of their children’s needs and in the development of the plans? Have the Government assessed the number and availability of trained professionals needed to meet the Experts at Hand plan included in the schools White Paper? Finally, will my noble friend commit the Government to work closely with groups such as the National Autistic Society and the Disabled Children’s Partnership and others as they develop their SEND proposals? That is the better way, the effective way, to make things right and get it right from the start.