Services for People with Autism

Andrew Selous Excerpts

Thursday 21st March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle) (Con)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered services for people with autism.

Every year, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Dame Cheryl Gillan), in her role as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on autism, moves a motion along the lines:

“That this House notes that World Autism Awareness Week runs from 1 April to 7 April; observes that autistic people continue to face a number of barriers to full participation in society; notes that it is 10 years since the Autism Act became law; and calls on the Government to improve support for children and adults on the autism spectrum, and ensure that the Autism Act is fully implemented across the country.”

My right hon. Friend cannot be with us today. She has asked me to explain that a close family member is critically ill and that she cannot leave their side. Though you, Mr Deputy Speaker, I send the love of this House to our right hon. Friend. She is a formidable champion of this cause, and someone to whom many of us have turned in our own hour of need. The best tribute that I can pay to her is to deliver the speech that she prepared and would have made today. These are her words:

“I welcome the Minister to the Front Bench and look forward to hearing what she has to say. My thanks to the Backbench Business Committee for granting this debate as we look forward to World Autism Awareness Week, a full seven days when people across the UK take part in activities to raise awareness of autism. I also thank the National Autistic Society for its ongoing support for the all-party parliamentary group on autism.

Hon. Members will be aware of my long-standing commitment to improving the lives of people on the autism spectrum, most notably through my role in spearheading the introduction of the Autism Act 2009—which has now been on the statute book for 10 years.

I was proud to introduce that Bill that became the only Act—which is the only Act dedicated to improving support and services for one disability. It was a landmark in the battle to improve the lives of autistic adults and their families. As a result of the Act, there has been a fundamental shift in how policy is developed and delivered for adults on the autism spectrum. For the first time, legal duties were placed on councils and the NHS to provide support to autistic adults in their local areas. In addition, the Act placed a responsibility on the Government to produce the national autism strategy, to set out its vision—and, importantly, to keep that strategy under review.”

[Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con)]

Like my hon. Friend I pay huge tribute to our right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Dame Cheryl Gillan) and all that she has done on the issue for so long. I am listening carefully to my hon. Friend’s excellent speech, and I wonder what he would say to a constituent who wrote to me about her son. She writes:

“My son is 21 years old and since leaving education has had nothing to do. He is not disabled enough to qualify for benefits but he is not able to compete for a job. He is caught in the middle.”

What more does my hon. Friend think we can do to help people like that young man with their future?

[Huw Merriman]

I thank my hon. Friend for his words and for championing his constituents. As he rightly says, some autistic people tend to fall through the gaps. Of course, all local authorities have a responsibility to take note when it comes to autism. We see individuals who are on the autism spectrum but are not receiving help because they might be outside a defined period. The extension of plans up to the age of 25 will go some way towards addressing that, but we still see people falling through the gaps. I will touch on some of the other areas that might address his concerns, or I will at least make calls to those on the Front Bench.

My right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham continues:

“This year, it falls on the Government once again to review its strategy and identify what more needs to be done.

Each of us has about 1,000 people on the autism spectrum in our constituencies and it affects one in 100 people. We each will have many autistic people and their family members contacting us to ask for our help on areas from education to adult support, diagnosis to employment...”