James Duddridge, Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East has today helped to bring the first ever autism law a step closer, by supporting the bill in the House of Commons.
The Autism Bill, which is being taken forward by Cheryl Gillan MP is also backed by many autism charities. Measures in the bill include: improving local information on the number of children and adults with autism, providing effective support from child to adult services and tackling the lack of help for adults with autism. James was one of the 131 MPs who voted in favour of the bill, which means it will move forward to committee stage, to be debated in more detail.
Speaking today, James said:
“I wanted to back the bill as I know that many people with autism do not receive the support that they deserve to help them reach their full potential in adulthood. This bill will help to make sure that local authorities are fully aware of the number of children and adults in their area with autism, in order to make sure that there are adequate services to help those with autism.”
“I know that in our local area, there is already some support available, however, the level of support needs to be improved and this Bill will help local authorities to do this. Autism can have a devastating effect on people if they are without the right support. I am really pleased that we are now a step closer to addressing this.”
27 February 2009