Well, I’m grateful to the Member for Swansea East for his support, and I agree with everything that he has just said.

Now, it’s absolutely essential to encourage co-operation between agencies and workforce training to best support those with autism in Wales. It’s my view that an autism Bill would work with the additional learning needs Bill and other wider work undertaken by the Welsh Government in this area in order to make sure that that progress is delivered. It’s my specific intention for this Bill to work alongside the work of the Welsh Government, not against it, to ensure that the autism community in Wales receives the support that it deserves. Naturally, the Welsh Government’s refreshed strategic action plan is welcome, and my intention is that my Bill would work alongside that to ensure that that provision is maintained beyond 2020.

The new national integrated autism plan does a lot to provide support, advice and intervention for those living with autism in Wales, and, again, I welcome that work, particularly around tackling diagnosis for adults in Wales. I very much believe that my Bill will help strengthen that work by securing the rights of autistic people with a statutory duty. Now, I appreciate that the Welsh Government will argue that the additional learning needs and educational tribunal Bill will provide additional support to people with autism. However, the additional learning needs Bill includes support for children and young people with autism up to the age of 25. Again, whilst that is welcome, my Bill will seek to provide support to all people living with autism and make sure that services are available to all age groups.

Members will be aware that there are still gaps in the provision for autism, and diagnosis times in some parts of Wales are simply far too long. In my own constituency, some children have faced a wait of up to seven years for a diagnosis, and that is simply unacceptable. Now, Hywel Dda health board did recognise that there was an issue in Pembrokeshire and it committed to putting in resources, which has led to an improvement. However, those specific resources have since been removed again, and, sadly, as a result, the improvements in diagnosis has fallen again. Whilst good practice and responsive services are evident in some areas, the local focus of the strategic action plan has meant that provision has remained inconsistent across Wales. Quite simply, there is a need to ensure that people with autism receive quality support wherever they live in Wales.

Now, I appreciate that some of you have concerns about the implementation and delivery of the autism Act in England, but I want to remind you that we have an opportunity to create a bespoke Bill suited to the needs of the autistic community here in Wales, not anywhere else. It’s important to recognise good practice, whether that’s in England, Northern Ireland or anywhere else, but it’s crucial that we tailor any autism-specific legislation to address the needs of the autism community here in Wales.

Of course, if I’m given leave today to take this Bill to the next stage, I will embark on a significant amount of stakeholder engagement to learn more about the particular needs of the autism community across the country and I will work with the Welsh Government to ensure that those views are appropriately addressed by this Bill. I want to make it clear today that I want to work with the Welsh Government and build on some of the good work we’ve seen in recent months. If the next 13 months prove that the Welsh Government’s ongoing work in this area is resulting in an overwhelming improvement in provision and support for those living with autism here in Wales, then I will be prepared to negotiate with the Government and reconsider the need for legislation in this area based on informed evidence.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind Members that the call for an autism Act in Wales has not come from Assembly Members or politicians, but from the autism community itself. This would be a Bill created by the autism community for the autism community, and I believe that we owe them the right to further explore the need for that legislation to be introduced.

This proposed Bill is looking to create a level playing field in access to services for autistic people wherever they live, and will put a statutory duty on local authorities and health boards to deliver those services. I hope that the Welsh Government will be open-minded to this proposed legislation, because all of us in this Chamber want the same thing: to see real and vast improvements to the provision and delivery of services in Wales. Last year, the Minister made it very clear that the door is very much open to autism legislation in Wales, and I sincerely hope that is still the case. I therefore urge Members to support this motion.