Biography
Lord Touhig has engaged extensively on autism and related support systems, with 19 debate speeches and committee work predominantly focused on employment outcomes, educational inclusion, and access to services for autistic people. His contributions address specific systemic issues including the Access to Work fund backlog, school exclusions of autistic children, diagnostic waiting times, and the implementation of the Buckland Review on autism employment, whilst consistently advocating for autism-specific rather than broader neurodiversity approaches. He has declared a recurring interest as vice-president of the National Autistic Society throughout his contributions.
Generated from their own Hansard record, below
“I welcome my noble friend’s response, but can I suggest an initiative that will help more autistic people into work? Businesses across the country are employing autistic people, but if we are to get more than three in 10 autistic people into work, we need to do more.”
Record by topic
- Learning disability & autism87th of 89938.5
- Mental health603rd of 8804.0
What they’ve said
“My Lords, I begin by declaring an interest: I am a vice-president of the National Autistic Society, an honour I share with my friend, the noble Baroness, Lady Browning.”
New Autism Strategy (Autism Act 2009 Committee Report) · 2026-06-10 · Read on Hansard ↗
“…I declare my interest as a vice-president of the National Autistic Society, an honour I share with my friend the noble Baroness, Lady Browning. A while ago I visited an autistic unit in a mainstream school, where the head was very keen that I should meet a pupil who had behavioural problems and was about to move on to…”
King’s Speech · 2026-05-19 · Read on Hansard ↗
“My Lords, last year I met a group of autistic youngsters who were in employment for the first time, thanks to the support of the Access to Work fund. But the fund, in truth, is in crisis.”
Access to Work Fund · 2026-03-05 · Read on Hansard ↗
“My Lords, in begging leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, I declare an interest as a vice-president of the National Autistic Society, an honour I share with my noble friend Lady Browning opposite.”
Access to Work Fund · 2026-03-05 · Read on Hansard ↗
“That was a most helpful and welcome Answer. Autistic children are particularly vulnerable to being excluded from school. Sometimes, behaviour associated with their autism is confused with disobedience because of a lack of awareness by staff.”
Autistic Children: State Schools · 2025-10-23 · Read on Hansard ↗
Contributions reproduced under the Open Parliament Licence.