Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop a new national autism strategy.

The Autism Act 2009 places a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to consult on, publish, and keep under review a national strategy for meeting the needs of autistic adults in England. My Rt Hon. Friend may choose to revise the strategy, and if so, must publish it as revised.

On 23 January 2026, we published our response to the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee’s report Time to deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy. We are carefully considering the report’s recommendations, as well as our approach to developing a new national autism strategy and will set out a position in due course. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published.