Buckland Review of Autism Employment

Asked the lead MP to visit the Fair Shot café in Covent Garden, which trains young people with learning difficulties to become baristas and café workers. The café has secured jobs for dozens of individuals.

Highlighted a local enterprise partnership presentation where an employer discovered that employing autistic individuals improved productivity and strengthened the organisation. Emphasised the value of supported internships and suggested making such support more accessible for people without an EHCP.

I am very pleased to follow the right hon. and learned Member for South Swindon; I congratulate him on securing this debate and on the report, which makes a valuable contribution on the topic of obstacles facing autistic people in the workplace. The Work and Pensions Committee has recently launched an inquiry into disability employment and will frame questions on autism employment. However, I am disappointed with the unambitious nature of the recommendations in the report; there are no targets set out, making it difficult to measure progress. I fear that without ambition, the Government’s efforts may fall short. The report rightly highlights the significant size of the autism employment gap and calls for processes and support mechanisms to enable autistic staff recruitment and success. Job carving is a concept not mentioned in the report but could significantly improve employment prospects for many autistic people. IPES referrals have ended and the work and health programme is closing, leading to concerns about emerging gaps in provision. Employers are willing to do more with proper information and support. Auticon, an IT consultancy with 80% of its workforce being autistic, showcases a successful model. The review calls for improvements in Access to Work, highlighting slow processing times and suggesting the need for mandatory disability workforce reporting.

Fellows praised the report produced by Sir Robert Buckland and thanked him for his work. She highlighted her personal connection to autism through her family experience, mentioning Dame Cheryl Gillan's support in an earlier debate. She emphasised that only three out of ten working-age autistic individuals are employed in the UK compared to five out of ten disabled people overall and eight out of ten non-disabled people. Fellows cited Ambitious about Autism’s employment survey showing 71% of unemployed autistic adults would like to work but lack confidence in finding it within a year. She highlighted the transformative power of proper support for employment, citing an example from DFN Project SEARCH's supported internship scheme where participants found meaningful employment and experienced life changes. Fellows also pointed out that autistic workers face significant pay gaps, are more likely to be underemployed or on zero-hour contracts than their non-disabled counterparts, and often struggle with workplace accommodations due to sensory sensitivities.

I congratulate Sir Robert Buckland on his report which highlights the barriers autistic people face in employment, emphasising the need for action to ensure they are not wasted. The report reveals that only 30% of autistic adults are employed and faces significant pay gaps and overqualification issues. Managers' discomfort with hiring disabled individuals is a major issue, reflecting discrimination. While welcoming the review's recommendations, Eagle calls for more stringent enforcement of disability law. She criticises recent Government initiatives as insufficient in addressing the low employment rate of disabled people, advocating for tangible actions and targets to improve their employment prospects.

The Minister highlighted the importance of autism employment, stating that autism should not be a barrier to work. She mentioned that one in 70 people is autistic, representing around a million individuals across the UK. The Government's goal for disabled employment has been met five years ahead of schedule, with an increase of 1.6 million since the target was announced. However, only three in ten working-age autistic people are currently employed despite their desire to work. She noted the need for job design tailored to individual needs and advocated for inclusive recruitment practices. The Minister also mentioned a new group being formed with expressions of interest from the autism community.

The Member questioned the Minister on adopting a target for raising employment among autistic people to match the disability employment rate and inquired about the status of Disability Confident reform, asking if an evaluation had been completed and when changes would be implemented.

The Member raised awareness of the autism friendly employer award and expressed pride in having received it as one of a few parliamentarians to do so.

He emphasised that while he agrees with the approach to wage war on ignorance, it should not be confused with a lack of determination. He praised the civil servants for sharing draft terms of reference and encouraged further debate to inform these references. Robert Buckland also commended DFN Project SEARCH, initiated by David Forbes-Nixon whose son is autistic, highlighting its significance in the network built around autism employment. Finally, he urged the Government, businesses and the economy to implement the recommendations.