Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of post-diagnosis support services for young people aged 17+ with Autistic Spectrum Disorder; and what specific tailored support is available to help those young people transition to adulthood.

This specific assessment has not been made although we recognise the need to improve access to support, following an autism diagnosis being made. In 2021/22 as part of £31 million funding provided to NHS England and NHS Improvement under the COVID-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing Recovery Plan for autism and learning disability services, NHS England and NHS Improvement has provided £7 million in funding to local areas to test and implement timely, quality autism diagnosis and post-diagnosis pathways for children and young people, including those aged 17 years old and above. As set out in Statutory Guidance on Autism published in March 2015, local authorities should work together with education and social care partners to plan for and provide services for autistic children and young people as they move from being children to adults and to ensure that support services are tailored to the needs of their local population.