Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an autism employment strategy to help improve (a) recruitment, (b) retention and (c) career progression for autistic people.

In the plan to Make Work Pay (October 2024), government committed to raising awareness of all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace. This includes autism. In January 2025, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. We have now received a final version of the Panel’s report. We will need to consider the findings alongside other key pieces of work, such as the Keep Britain Working Review.

We also support employers to be more inclusive in their workplace practices, regardless of diagnosis. DWP's current offer to employers includes:

• A digital information service, www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/, this service guides employers through workplace scenarios, including on making reasonable adjustments.
• The Disability Confident scheme, which encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get into work. This includes resources around employing people with hidden disabilities, including autism and other neurodivergent conditions.
• Access to Work, which provides grant funding to support Workplace Adjustments that go beyond an employer's duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. This grant funding allows for personalised support and workplace assessments, travel to work, support workers, and specialist aids and equipment.

In addition, the DWP are committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including autistic people, with their employment journey and there are currently a number of initiatives to support individuals, including autistic people, to return to work.

This includes support through our local jobcentres. Pathways to Work Advisers are delivering support in Jobcentres for disabled people and people with health conditions to help them move towards and into work, building on and expanding existing evidenced measures like additional work coach support. Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres offer advice and knowledge on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work.

DWP’s voluntary, locally led Supported Employment Programme, Connect to Work, helps disabled people, people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to employment to find sustained work. For neurodivergent people, including autistic people, Connect to Work follows the Supported Employment Quality Framework, which is backed by an international evidence base and has been proven to support neurodivergent people into sustainable employment. For the Surrey Connect to Work delivery area, Surrey County Council are the lead authority. Their Connect to Work service is live and more information, including how to apply for support, can be found here: Connect to Work - Surrey County Council