Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ensuring that public-facing (a) leisure and (b) sports staff participate in mandatory autism awareness and sensitivity training.

As set out in the cross-government autism strategy (2021-2026), we want to improve understanding and acceptance of autism, and for public sector services to become more autism-inclusive.

Under the Equality Act 2010, public sector organisations are required to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people as well as to everybody else.

The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) is the professional development body for the UK’s sport and physical activity sector. It is committed to supporting, developing and enabling professionals and organisations to inspire our nation to become more active.

CIMSPA provides access to many resources and training programmes which explore how people with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) can be supported in sport and physical activity.