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Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Touhig (Labour). It was answered on Thursday, 25 June 2026.

Unemployment: People with Autism

Question

I welcome my noble friend’s response, but can I suggest an initiative that will help more autistic people into work? Businesses across the country are employing autistic people, but if we are to get more than three in 10 autistic people into work, we need to do more. Will my noble friend consider a

mentoring scheme whereby those who have employed autistic people can sign up to help others and advise them to do the same? If she would like to know how this can work, I will happily provide her with some examples.

Answer

I am grateful to my noble friend and will be delighted to talk to him about examples and take them back to the department. He is right to focus on the importance of supporting employers; there are many who want to do the right thing but may not know how best to do it. Business-to-business mentoring can be key, and my noble friend will perhaps be reassured to know that we are exploring the benefits of business-to-business mentoring as part of our regional Vanguard employer work as part of Keep Britain Working. In the meantime, the Disability Confident scheme encourages collaboration between employers, including peer-to-peer learning; and connect to work, our specialist voluntary supported employment programme, works directly with employers to help secure and sustain jobs. My noble friend is absolutely right to push on this area.

Secondary information

Type
Oral question
Reference
857 c746 
Session
2026-27
Oral question type
1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
Subjects
Autism Employment Unemployment
Link
View this Oral question on hansard.parliament.uk