Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:36 pm on 12 October 2016.
It’s a pleasure to participate in this debate as the first chair of one of the first cross-party groups in this Assembly back in 2000, and it was a cross-party group on autism. There was a shortage of services back in 1999 and we’re having the same debates now. Nothing has changed. I read the Conservative motion here, and they propose that that the National Assembly for Wales.
‘Recognises that there is a need for specific legislation for autism, and calls on the Welsh Government to bring forward an autism (Wales) bill during the fifth Assembly term.’
I would agree with that. I agree with that having been a GP for 32 years in Swansea, and having been one of the first Members of this Assembly. We’ve been having these debates about autism and the absence of services since the inception of this Assembly. Yes, we’ve had schemes, plans, we’ve had strategies and we’ve had meetings with all sorts of people. I still meet with my patients, you may be aware—I may not have made it clear that I still am a GP these days, and I still meet with patients who have autism—. Hefin.