I have to say, as a member of the health committee, I went into this process feeling I had some awareness of the issues, but I was far from convinced that legislation was the answer, and, through the process of receiving evidence, I have changed my mind.

I've been thoroughly disheartened and actually sometimes quite distressed by the evidence we received from people with autism and their families of the challenges they face to get some kind of diagnosis, of identifying support where support is needed, and, where it exists at all, of getting access to their support. Some of those stories were heartbreaking, and in some places—I'm afraid that, in Wales, in some places services for those young people particularly are scarcely better than they were when I was a special needs teacher in the 1980s. There's a shocking lack of consistency nationally, and, where things are good, they are too often dependent on skilled and caring individuals in certain professions.

I think it's clear from the debate today that we can all agree that this can't be allowed to continue and that something must be done, so why I am convinced that we need a law? Now, it is true that the evidence received by our committee was mixed, and the division has been summarised by others. Broadly, those providing services or responsible for providing services are against legislating. Their concerns are reflected in the report. I won't try to answer all their points, but I would say this: it is clear that the social services and well-being Act does not provide an adequate legal framework for the provision of services for all people with autism. The concerns raised about resourcing are genuine, of course, and they need to be addressed. But this is part of a wider debate about resourcing care and support for all people who need it, and it not a reason either not to legislate or to legislate. And, of course, generally speaking, providers of service rarely wish to see their services subject to more legislation than they think is necessary.