Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Effective early identification and support is critical to improving outcomes for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with autism.

We have proposed the introduction of National Inclusion Standards, which will support education settings to identify and respond to needs earlier and more consistently, drawing on a broad range of evidence and professional expertise, so that all children and young people can receive the support they need to achieve and thrive.

The National Inclusion Standards will be underpinned by a £200 million training package to ensure that all teachers, educators, teaching assistants, support staff and leaders across early years, schools and post-16 settings can be trained to support pupils with SEND, and a new investment of £3.7 billion to drive more inclusive school estates and create additional specialist places.

We will continue to engage closely with young people, parents and professionals as we develop our reforms and how they will work in practice. The department also engages with the devolved governments at ministerial and official level on a range of areas covering education, skills and family policies and will continue to do so.

The Review's steering group recognise no single method of engagement and evidence-gathering will allow them to hear every voice. That is why the group has adopted a mix of approaches combining lived experience, expert insight, existing research, new quantitative data and workshops across the UK to gather evidence. This engagement included those with lived experience of autism. The findings from this engagement are being used to build a strong evidence base to inform policy analysis and the Review's recommendations.

In the next phase of the Review, Shaping Recommendation Workshops will be held and will bring together disabled people and those with long-term health conditions from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to help shape, test and refine the Review's emerging recommendations.

I am grateful for that question. It should discomfit colleagues that, in many cases, lots and lots of people across our communities have served long beyond their sentence and have not been permitted their release from prison, or have not been able to sustain a release from prison. Of course, there has been a lot of interest about what legislative approach we may take; we intend to publish legislation in due course. My hon. Friend is entirely right that we also have to ensure that those individuals who do leave have the best possible support that we can give them to ensure they can sustain that exit.

Jimmy, the son of two of my Shipley constituents, was given an IPP sentence with a tariff of two and a half years in 2007. He remains in prison with no set release date, despite having passed his mental health tribunal. I strongly welcome the Prime Minister’s recent announcement to review these unjust sentences, but can the Secretary of State assure me that prisoners with autism, like Jimmy, will get the support they need to start a new life?

DWP works with a range of internal and external experts when designing, drafting and user-testing claimant letters and other written communications issued by the department. We have actively engaged with groups and organisations representing neuro-diverse customers such as People First and Mencap, to develop and create Easy Read products.

Our written communications are also designed to be accessible for people who use assistive technology. These are compliant with Work Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 accessible standards. These communications are regularly tested to ensure they continue to meet user needs.

If she will include different autism profiles as part of SEND training for school staff.

I can confirm that I am working closely with the independent prevalence review. On PDA especially, I have heard similar things from many parents. We have a national independent panel—they are in Parliament this afternoon, and there are sessions for all parliamentarians, so I encourage Members to come along and talk to them directly. We have asked them to look at PDA because there is not a strong evidence base, which has been asked for. As well as the teacher training, which is a huge priority, these new experts—educational psychologists, occupational therapists—will provide support for teachers in classrooms.

I thank the Minister for her answer and for all the work she is doing on this. Following on from the question from the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Juliet Campbell), the issue of differing profiles is really important; pupils with a pathological demand avoidance profile of autism will require a totally different strategy from staff at the reception desk and teachers to get them into school and get them engaged with education. Will she keep pressing the Department on teacher training to really focus on these different profiles and the responses to them, and can she confirm that she is also working with the Department of Health and Social Care on the independent prevalence review, as all that amazing work by mental health experts across the UK should be feeding into this work?

Our reforms focus on better meeting pupils’ needs through earlier and more effective interventions. Children can present very differently even if they have a similar diagnosis, and we want to ensure that schools have the tools to identify children’s individual needs. Our special educational needs and disabilities training for staff works on areas of development, and our national inclusion standard will support that approach by ensuring mainstream settings have the knowledge, training and specialist support to deliver it.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments are functional assessments designed to consider how a person’s health conditions or impairments affect their ability to carry out daily living and mobility activities. They do not require health professionals (HPs) to diagnose conditions or recommend treatment.

All assessment suppliers are required to ensure that HPs have appropriate training and knowledge of the clinical aspects and likely functional effects of a wide range of health conditions and impairments, including Autism and learning disabilities. All HPs undertaking assessments on behalf of the department must be registered practitioners and receive comprehensive training in disability analysis, including how to assess the impact of health conditions on day-to-day activities, alongside awareness training covering a range of conditions, symptoms and disabilities.

From 9 September 2024 the educational material for all Health Assessment Advisory Service HPs has been provided by DWP. As part of our review, we identified best practice in the NHS and have implemented the Oliver McGowan training as part of the mandatory training requirements for every HP. This training is recognised to be of significant value to HPs in ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to provide safe, informed, and compassionate assessments to claimants with autism and learning disabilities.

In addition, HPs have access to a wide range of Core Training and Guidance Materials (CTGM). These resources offer detailed clinical and functional information, including the potential risks and limitations of a range of conditions, including autism and learning disabilities, to support HPs in delivering informed assessments. Following the transfer of responsibilities to DWP all training and guidance materials are undergoing a comprehensive review and update. A newly established team is leading this work, ensuring that all materials are aligned with national best practice standards. To support this, independent clinical experts are being engaged to provide external quality assurance, helping to ensure the accuracy, relevance, and consistency of the content.

Information on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment outcomes by primary condition can be found on Stat Xplore. PIP claimants can have more than one condition and this data only indicates the primary condition as determined during the PIP assessment process.

The requested data can be found in the ‘PIP Clearances’ dataset. You can expand the ‘Disability’ filter to narrow to ‘Autistic spectrum disorders’ and ‘Learning disability global’. You can expand the ‘Clearance type detail’ filter to select awarded and disallowed claims.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore is also available here: Personal Independence Payment data on Stat-Xplore: user guide - GOV.UK.

The Timms Review seeks to ensure that PIP is fair and fit for the future. The Review's terms of reference set out a broad scope to ensure that PIP effectively captures the impact of long-term health conditions and disabilities in the modern world.

The Review is being co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. The steering group has shaped a programme of participation that brings together the full range of views and voices, including those with autism and learning disabilities.

The interim report of the Timms Review found that PIP as a benefit is no longer fit for purpose and is failing to keep pace with how disability, health and work have changed over the past decade.

The next phase of the Review is testing and refining recommendations for reform. The Review will report its recommendations to the Secretary of State in autumn.

My hon. Friend raises an extremely important point ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day. One life lost to suicide is one life too many, and all of us across this House have a responsibility to make sure people know that there is always support available, there is always someone to talk to, and there is always help there. My hon. Friend has raised the issue of neurodiversity and autism, and I would be happy to discuss that further with her as we bring forward an updated suicide prevention plan.

Ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day, it is important that we recognise the heightened risk of suicide among autistic women and girls, who are too often overlooked and diagnosed too late. Autistic people are three times more likely to attempt, or die by, suicide than non-autistic people. Will the Secretary of State set out what action the Government are taking to reduce suicide among women and girls with autism?

The Department provides a range of employment support for autistic and ADHD people, including those who require ongoing practical support to obtain and sustain employment.

Our specialist, voluntary, Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work, is for anyone who is disabled, has a health condition or is experiencing non-health related barriers to work. Connect to Work has a specialist pathway for neurodivergent and learning-disabled participants, using the well-evidenced Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF). The programme is locally led and will support around 300,000 people by the end of the decade.

In Jobcentres around 1,000 (full time equivalent) Pathways to Work Advisers, provide personalised one-to-one support to disabled and neurodivergent customers, and those with health conditions to help customers identify and overcome obstacles which may stop them from moving towards or into work or to access employment and wider skills support, and our employment programmes.

Practical workplace support is also available through Access to Work, a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant delivered across Great Britain. It supports workplace adjustments that go beyond an employer’s responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. The scheme is available to people with disabilities or health conditions, including neurodivergent conditions, where these affect their ability to work.

Alongside support for individuals, DWP administers the GB-wide Disability Confident scheme, encouraging employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace.

In 2025, DWP launched an independent advisory panel of academics with expertise and lived experiences of neurodiversity to consider the reasons why neurodivergent people often have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. DWP has received a final version of the Panel’s report which will be published alongside our response in due course. In addition, between January and March this year, DWP funded the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service to run a limited series of neurodivergence masterclasses for employers to attend free of charge. This was to address employer and line manager skill and confidence in recruiting and supporting neurodivergent individuals at work. Over 1,800 representatives of employers attended these masterclasses.

The Department provides a range of employment support for autistic and ADHD people, including those who require ongoing practical support to obtain and sustain employment.

Our specialist, voluntary, Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work, is for anyone who is disabled, has a health condition or is experiencing non-health related barriers to work. Connect to Work has a specialist pathway for neurodivergent and learning-disabled participants, using the well-evidenced Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF). The programme is locally led and will support around 300,000 people by the end of the decade.

In Jobcentres around 1,000 (full time equivalent) Pathways to Work Advisers, provide personalised one-to-one support to disabled and neurodivergent customers, and those with health conditions to help customers identify and overcome obstacles which may stop them from moving towards or into work or to access employment and wider skills support, and our employment programmes.

Practical workplace support is also available through Access to Work, a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant delivered across Great Britain. It supports workplace adjustments that go beyond an employer’s responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. The scheme is available to people with disabilities or health conditions, including neurodivergent conditions, where these affect their ability to work.

Alongside support for individuals, DWP administers the GB-wide Disability Confident scheme, encouraging employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace.

In 2025, DWP launched an independent advisory panel of academics with expertise and lived experiences of neurodiversity to consider the reasons why neurodivergent people often have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. DWP has received a final version of the Panel’s report which will be published alongside our response in due course. In addition, between January and March this year, DWP funded the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service to run a limited series of neurodivergence masterclasses for employers to attend free of charge. This was to address employer and line manager skill and confidence in recruiting and supporting neurodivergent individuals at work. Over 1,800 representatives of employers attended these masterclasses.

HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) has a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to provide reasonable adjustments for users with disabilities, including dyslexia.

HMCTS supports court and tribunal users with dyslexia and autism through its reasonable adjustment process. The type of reasonable adjustments we can provide to support users with dyslexia and or autism include:

• providing our forms in Alternative formats such as large print;

• providing our guidance in audio or easy read;

• allowing more time to explain procedures;

• offering to read forms and leaflets out to our users;

• allowing more time in hearings;

• allowing a close relative or carer to accompany the person;

• consider appointing an intermediary to help communication;

• explanations and instructions given slowly and clearly;

• fully or partially remote hearings; and,

• speaking slowly and allowing extra time to answer.

HMCTS is a member of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower network to help people visiting court and tribunal buildings who may need additional support. Users who choose to wear the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower are discreetly indicating they need additional support, help or a little more time. Court and tribunal staff know how to recognise the Sunflower lanyard and may ask what we can do to help. Sunflower lanyards are available in all our buildings free of charge.

Users are encouraged to contact HMCTS to discuss any particular adjustments so that the support can be tailored to their individual needs. Staff will sensitively ask those needing reasonable adjustments what support they need.

The Equal Treatment Bench Book, published by Judicial College (Equal Treatment Bench Book - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary) contains guidance on fair treatment, equality issues and general information on disability issues and religion for judges. It includes information on dyslexia and autism and how to support court and tribunal users.

All assessment suppliers are required to ensure that their health professionals (HPs) carrying out assessments have training and knowledge of the clinical aspects and likely functional effects of a wide range of health conditions and impairments.

From 9 September 2024 the educational material for all Health Assessment Advisory Service HPs has been provided by DWP. As part of our review, we identified best practice in the NHS and have implemented the Oliver McGowan training, which is fully supported by autistic people with lived experience, as part of the mandatory training requirements for every HP. This training is recognised to be of significant value to HPs in ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to provide safe, informed, and compassionate assessments to claimants with autism and learning disabilities.

In addition, HPs have access to a wide range of Core Training and Guidance Materials (CTGM). These resources offer detailed clinical and functional information, including the potential risks and limitations of a range of conditions, including autism, to support HPs in delivering informed assessments. Following the transfer of responsibilities to DWP in September 2024, all training and guidance materials are currently undergoing a comprehensive review and update. A newly established team is leading this work, ensuring that all materials are aligned with national best practice standards. To support this, independent clinical experts are being engaged to provide external quality assurance, helping to ensure the accuracy, relevance, and consistency of the content.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Hon Member for Leicester East on 18 June 2026 in response to Question 5565.