Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Children and Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce will examine the specific issue of challenges accessing a diagnostic assessment for children with suspected autism.

The Children and Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce has nearly completed its work - a Government report of the Taskforce’s work including key findings and proposals will be published in the spring.

The remit of the Children and Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce is set out in its published Terms of Reference, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-and-well-being-taskforce#terms-of-reference

The Government established the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce to look at how to improve access to mental health services that are more responsive to children and young people’s needs, though was not intended to address specific health conditions. However, the Taskforce did have a particular focus on the needs of the most vulnerable children, including those with learning disabilities and those with autistic spectrum disorder.

The Children and Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce also addressed what changes were needed in commissioning services for children and young people with mental health conditions though were not asked to address this in relation to specific health conditions.