PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Autism: Workplace Accessibility - 5 February 2024 (Commons/Commons Chamber)
Debate Detail
Contributions from Mel Stride, are highlighted with a yellow border.
Mr Barry Sheerman
Huddersfield
15:13:10
Mel Stride
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Autistic people have a huge amount to offer in the workforce, which is why we set up the Buckland review in April 2023, led by my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for South Swindon (Sir Robert Buckland), to look at the barriers to autistic people gaining employment and to ensure that we have a more inclusive workforce for them.
Mr Sheerman
May I push the Minister on what progress has been made by the Buckland review? Will he also remind jobcentres up and down the country that people on the autism spectrum have great talents and often need only slight workplace modifications of simple things such as lighting or noise levels? This could open up a source of real talent for our country.
Mel Stride
The hon. Gentleman is entirely right. Small changes can often make a big difference, not just for autistic people but for the businesses they go on to serve and work in. He will have to be a little more patient about the Buckland review report coming out, but it will not be long. I also point him to the Access to Work and Disability Confident approaches, which both do exactly what he suggests.
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