Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I was honoured to have had the opportunity to bring forward proposals for autism legislation. And whilst the outcome wasn't what many of us had hoped for, the autism community and I can take some consolation from the fact that autism was at the top of the Assembly’s agenda for so long. Now, I'm not saying for one moment since my proposed Bill that there isn't some good work being done across Wales, because in some areas there has been some good progress. However, the problem remains that whilst there’s good practice in some parts of the country, in others, services are poor and there are unacceptably high waiting times for a diagnosis. That for me was the real crux of why autism legislation needed to be introduced in Wales, and the optimist in me sincerely hopes that the Welsh Government will still consider legislation if it’s been shown that their current strategies aren't successful.

I accept that the Welsh Government has introduced the integrated autism service, and the recent independent review highlighted some of the improvements that have been made, and I'm particularly pleased to see that the established services are working in person-centred ways, developing and adapting their services to meet the needs of individuals and groups. However, that same report later stated that the established services are still facing challenges in managing demand for assessment and diagnosis, therefore, it’s clear that much more work needs to take place to address these particular challenges. Let us also remember that those people living with autism in west Wales are only now seeing a service developed in their area, and it will be interesting to see how the new integrated autism service in my area will be developed, and the effect this will have on my constituents being able to access services.

One of the other concerns that I've received from talking to charities and third sector organisations who deliver support services for people with autism is the fact that people are referred to them from statutory bodies without receiving any financial support themselves. This is the message I received only very recently when I visited AP Cymru. Now this, in my view, needs to change. So I would urge the Minister to look at this very seriously and to change the funding infrastructure to make sure these organisations, who do a fantastic job in supporting autistic people, actually receive the financial support that they deserve. 

One of the key benefits of the proposed autism Bill was the very fact that it put a legal requirement on the Welsh Government to publish an autism strategy. The rationale behind this was to secure a measure of permanence and sustainability in providing services for people living with autism in Wales. Beyond the period of the revised autism strategic action plan 2016-20, there is simply no certainty of continued prioritisation of autism services in Wales. Furthermore, we know from autism legislation in other parts of the UK that legislation is needed to ensure that the momentum for improvement is not lost. Therefore, I hope that the Welsh Government will give serious consideration to this proposal and look at ways it can safeguard the prioritisation of autism services in the future.

Dirprwy Lywydd, whilst my attempt to see the proposed autism Bill passed in this Chamber may not have been successful, there is no reason why the Welsh Government can't take its aspects and incorporate them where applicable into its own programme and, indeed, into its own legislation in the future. I know the Welsh Government has brought forward a code of practice, and whilst it doesn't go far enough in my opinion, it at least shows a commitment from the Welsh Government. Therefore, in closing, Deputy Presiding Officer, I urge Members to support our motion this afternoon and send a statement to the autism community that we are listening and doing everything we can to address the challenges that people living with autism in Wales face.