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Autism Bill

The hon. Lady makes an excellent point, and, as she rightly says, some of the groups of people whom we are talking about are very hard to reach. That is where training and raising community awareness comes in; I will mention training later. If we look back 20 years, we realise that there are many issues that we, as a community and as individuals, simply were not aware of then. That can change, and it is important that it does, so that friends, neighbours, colleagues and those whom people with autism meet can recognise that a person has unmet needs, and can perhaps alert such a person to the fact that they can present themselves to the appropriate services to ensure that they can live their lives to the full. The Bill ensures that can happen. We have heard that only 9 per cent. of local authorities are keeping any record on that point—only one in 10. It would be useful if the Minister assured the House that there will be a particular focus on identifying those whose autism is not already known about. The danger is that local authorities, in a rush to demonstrate that they are complying with the legislation, will pick up the group that they already know about and run with them. We need that focus, and a word from the Minister on that point would be helpful.