Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department plans to take to use the Care Act 2014 to promote the provision of low-level support to people with autism.

The Care Act will be implemented from April 2015.

A period of consultation is underway until 19 December on revised statutory guidance for local authorities and the NHS to implement Think Autism, the 2014 update to the 2010 Adult Autism Strategy. This includes coverage of preventing, delaying or reducing the care needs of adults with autism or their carers by providing low level preventative support and enabling people with autism to be connected with peers and with local community groups in line with the duties of the Care Act. The statutory guidance when it is issued in February 2015 will complement the existing Care Act guidance on prevention.