New Clause 1
Autism Bill
4:00 pm
Janet Dean (Burton, Labour)
I shall be brief, as we must conclude business fairly soon. First, let me pay tribute to the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton; I know that she has done a great deal to highlight the needs of people with autism. I also pay tribute to my hon. Friends the Members for South Thanet and for Erewash—both previous chairs of the all-party parliamentary group—for the work that they have done. I also want to congratulate the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham on coming first in the ballot, and I thank her for choosing to introduce the Autism Bill. I am delighted that we have found consensus and a way forward.
As soon as the Bill was introduced, even before Second Reading, the Government worked hard to meet the aspirations that it expressed—indeed, perhaps they went beyond what was in the original Bill. I commend both Ministers and my hon. Friends on the work that they have done, and the officials on their work over the past week in drafting the new clauses. I also want to commend most highly the National Autistic Society, with which I have the pleasure of working as chair of the all-party group, on its work in producing the original Bill and taking it forward with the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham.
This has been a good example of cross-party working. Getting to this stage has been an example of setting aside scepticism. We have progressed a great deal over the past few years as far as autism is concerned, and the legislation takes us a great step beyond where we thought we could be only a few weeks ago. I am delighted to support the new clauses.