Autism: Parenting Support Programmes
Debate between Lord Patel of Bradford and Baroness Blake of Leeds
Lord Patel of Bradford (Non-Afl)
My Lords, can I go back one step? Many families wait months, if not years, before receiving a diagnosis. Approximately how many children and young people are currently waiting for an autism assessment, and what support is available to them and their families during that period, rather than waiting until a diagnosis has actually been made?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The figures that we are working from say that 270,701 people were waiting for an autism assessment in March 2026. We know that the average waiting time for assessments varies across the country: for 0 to 17 year-olds it is about 67 weeks, and for patients aged 18-plus it is about 20 weeks. The noble Lord is absolutely right to stress the importance of not having to wait for the actual diagnosis before things are put in place. That is why we are putting such focus on SEND reforms in schools and in early years provision, to make sure that we get early assessments and can put in place the support that we know is available as early as we possibly can.
Bus Fares: National Cap
Debate between Lord Patel of Bradford and Baroness Blake of Leeds(1 year, 9 months ago)
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Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The most important aspect in taking this forward is that it is for local determination. The money going to local authorities is not ring-fenced; they are able to look at different schemes for their particular localities. In areas where youth schemes have been brought in, they have been very successful—look at how Greater Manchester is moving forward, with an increase in passengers. I hope we can roll it out across the country.
Lord Patel of Bradford (Non-Afl)
My Lords, can the Minister say if the Government are taking any particular action with respect to coastal and rural communities? The noble Baroness remarked that young people need access to travel to get to work, and yet the infrastructure is completely destroyed in some of these areas.
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
Rural communities come up all the time when we are talking about bus services. I have lived in the wilds of the Yorkshire Dales in the past and I know exactly how important it is. But the important thing is that local determination can highlight priorities, and we know how much the bus cap has helped rural communities over the last few months. This is something that will be of great concern as we consider how we take it forward.