PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Reasonable Adjustments: Autism (26 January 2023)

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people diagnosed with autism requested but were not granted reasonable adjustments as defined within the Equal Treatment Bench Book in the last year.

Asked by:
Esther McVey (Conservative)

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) considers each reasonable adjustment request it receives on an individual needs basis. HMCTS does not require that people going through the court or tribunal system tell them if they are diagnosed with autism. It is for the requestor to decide whether they tell HMCTS about a diagnosis of autism. If the requestor tells HMCTS they have autism, the agency does not necessarily document that a diagnosis of autism has been given when recording details of requests for reasonable adjustments. The information requested is not, therefore recorded centrally.

HMCTS will refer any requests from users with disabilities for reasonable adjustments in the hearing to the judge to consider in their independent judicial capacity. The judge will consider such requests in accordance with the Equal Treatment Bench Book.

Answered by:
Mike Freer (Conservative)
2 February 2023