Well, one of the purposes of an autism Act would be to make sure that it covers all ages, so that this transition age of 16, 18, or even 21 or 25 in some cases, is irrelevant. This is about individuals, regardless of how old they are, their rights and what they should be able to demand from public services and the rest of society.

Seven years ago, and this is back in 2009, after the Wales ASD strategy, the Autism Act 2009 became the first piece of disability-specific legislation passed in England. It didn’t go far enough, it didn’t include children, and the guidance didn’t really create a role for the third sector and co-production. And if you meet the members of local NAS branches in my region, you will be meeting experts in their field. They know what good support looks like for people with autism, their carers and the professional service providers, so why would we be squandering this social capital?

The Autism Act was a backbench Bill that became law and, as well as entering our names into the ballot here in similar cause, the Welsh Conservatives have consistently called on you, the Welsh Government, to introduce your own, better autism Act. And while you may point to the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act as a reason not to do so, that Act has not improved diagnosis and will not support data gathering or training.

This Assembly is in balance. If you refuse to introduce your own autism Act, you face the probability of a backbench Bill during the course of this Assembly, and I’m remembering those manifesto commitments from other parties. Anyone rolling back on those manifesto commitments will be betraying 36,000 families in Wales, so I ask you to think very carefully about that. Would you be brave enough to whip Labour Members to reject an Assembly Member’s autism Bill? Will you refuse a Bill just because there are other conditions that could equally be legislated upon? Or will you be a wise Government and seek cross-party consensus on a Bill of your own?