Autism Bill

My hon. Friend is right. I refer him to clause 2(5)(f), which specifically covers""the training of staff who provide relevant services to adults with such conditions"" in the guidance that the Secretary of State issues. That provision is included for the reasons that my hon. Friend outlined. I pay great tribute to the Minister of State, Department of Health, the hon. Member for Corby (Phil Hope). He is not with us today because he has a vital duty to perform in his constituency, so I am delighted that the Under-Secretary of State for Health, the hon. Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Ann Keen), is here. I am sure that she will do an excellent job today. The Minister of State did not start off entirely supporting the Bill, but, my goodness, he has got behind it. He has done a first-class job in his current ministerial position, which I am glad he continues to hold, because I hope that he will supervise the legislation, if we are fortunate enough to get it through the House today and through the other place in due course. The Bill has the potential to deliver the crucial improvements needed for the approximately 500,000 people with autism in the UK, who have been neglected for so long. It is the culmination of a great deal of work by many people. The effort that has gone into the Bill is a testament not only to the determination and dedication of many of my colleagues in the House, on a cross-party basis, but to a large number of people outside. I have paid tribute to those people in previous speeches, so perhaps they will forgive me if I do not name them today, but the National Autistic Society and all the other charities that have been involved have done a first-class job on behalf of the group that they represent. I would like also to thank the Members who supported the Bill and those who served on the Public Bill Committee, which shows what we can achieve when we work together. Lastly, before I get to the substance of the Bill, I would like again to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton and Honiton, who has been a champion on the issue. The Bill builds on her earlier ten-minute Bill and—to sound just a small sour note—resulted also from the Government's failure to respond or to fulfil their promises on autism in the past. To be truthful, the Bill is really her Bill, which, because I won a lottery, I have been fortunate enough to present. Autism was long overdue serious consideration, as outcomes for both children and adults were consistently so much poorer than those for people who do not have autism. A recent report by the NAS found that 40 per cent. of children with autism had been bullied, that 27 per cent. had been excluded from school and that 42 per cent. reported that they had no friends. In addition, 70 per cent. had a psychiatric condition accompanying their autism. For adults, the picture is even bleaker. The NAS estimates that 63 per cent. of adults with autism do not receive enough support, while 82 per cent. of parents or carers of adults with autism say that their child needs daily support just to live independently. Only 15 per cent. of adults with autism are in full-time work and 75 per cent. do not have any friends or find it very hard to make friends, while 40 per cent. of adults with autism still live with their parents. We currently fail both children and adults with autism in this country.