Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Autism: Employment

Wednesday 29 April 2026 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The supported employment programme Connect to Work will be open throughout England and Wales by summer, including a specialist pathway for neurodivergent people.
  • ACAS has delivered masterclasses on recruiting neurodivergent people to 1,800 SME representatives this year.
  • The Minister agrees that services should be expanded to support autistic people into work rather than being shut down.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alison Hume Lab Scarborough and Whitby
Employment
Context

The MP is concerned about the challenges faced by individuals with autism in finding employment.

Question

What steps are being taken to support autistic people into work? I recently chaired an employment roundtable where individuals highlighted that a significant barrier is employer fear of making mistakes when recruiting or supporting autistic employees, leading some employers to opt out. How will the Government address this fear factor and incentivise recruitment?

Answer from Stephen Timms

The supported employment programme Connect to Work will be open throughout England and Wales by summer, including a specialist pathway for neurodivergent people. We funded ACAS to deliver masterclasses on recruiting neurodivergent people to 1,800 SME representatives this year and set up an online support with employer health and disability service.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific incentives to address employer fears were not mentioned beyond the availability of training and resources.

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Q2 Alison Hume Lab Scarborough and Whitby
Employment
Context

The MP highlighted a concern that employers are hesitant to hire autistic employees due to fears of making mistakes, affecting recruitment.

Question

What steps will the Government take to address employer concerns about hiring autistic individuals and incentivise them to recruit such workers? This includes addressing the fear factor among employers and providing support to overcome these barriers.

Answer from Stephen Timms

We funded ACAS to deliver masterclasses on recruiting neurodivergent people to 1,800 SME representatives this year and set up an online support with employer health and disability service. We are considering what more we can do.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Concrete actions to address employer fears beyond training were not specified.

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Q3 Josh Babarinde Lib Dem Eastbourne
Employment
Context

The MP is concerned about the closure of CLASS+ service by East Sussex county council, which supported people with autism towards independent futures including employment.

Question

Does the Minister agree that we should be expanding services to support autistic people into work instead of shutting them down? The Conservatives are closing such services in Eastbourne. What action will be taken?

Answer from Stephen Timms

I agree with the hon. Member about the importance of expanding support for autistic people into work, not shutting them down. We received an expert academic panel report on neurodiversity in the workplace last year and are considering its recommendations.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions beyond agreeing with expansion were not detailed.

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