Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department plans to take to encourage NHS foundation trusts to follow the statutory guidance implementing the adult autism strategy.

The guidance for implementing the adult autism strategy for the NHS and local authorities is statutory. Therefore, NHS foundation trusts are expected to follow the guidance and the Department will be working with NHS England and other stakeholders to ensure it is widely disseminated and followed in the NHS.