HL Deb 09 July 2001 vol 626 cc64-5WA
Lord Morris of Manchester

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their latest information on the number of adults with an autism spectrum disorder who have had a community care assessment.[HL155]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

The NHS and Community Care Act 1990 gave local authorities a duty to give a community care assessment to anyone who, in their view, might be in need of community care services. About 1 million clients in England had completed assessments during the period 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000. This figure is not broken down by client group.

A recent analysis by the National Autistic Society of data from 450 parents of adults with autistic spectrum disorders suggested that 38 per cent had received a community care assessment.