Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 9 September 2019 to Question 285039, what steps his Department is taking to reduce instances of suicide amongst people with autism.

The fourth progress report of the cross-Government suicide prevention strategy recognises autistic people as a high-risk group, and the NHS Long Term Plan reaffirms the National Health Service’s commitment to make suicide prevention a priority over the next decade. This Plan will see investment in all areas of the country by 2023/24 to support local suicide prevention plans and establish suicide bereavement support services.

We are also revisiting the work to refresh the autism strategy, working closely with the Department for Education and other Government departments. As part of this work and as a key priority, we will consider what further action can be taken to support autistic children and young people to maintain good mental health and to prevent instances of suicide.