Autism (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022

The Autism (Amendment) Act was passed on Monday 7th March 2022 at the NI Assembly with unanimous cross-party support. The new Private Member’s Bill sponsored by Pam Cameron MLA, is the most comprehensive piece of single disability legislation within the United Kingdom.

Some of the changes that the Act will introduce will be the creation of an autism information service and a cross departmental autism training strategy.  There will also be a requirement for the Department of Health to make provision for a regionally consistent adult autism service and early intervention service throughout Northern Ireland. 

What does the new Autism ACT Mean?

Here is a reminder of the main points of the new Autism (Amendment) Act:

• Regional autism training strategy

• Regional autism information service

• Regional intervention service

• Regional adult support services

• Measurable targets and outcomes

• An independent scrutiny body to oversee implementation

Hansard Reports

 Autism NI presented to the Health Committee and the Education Committee when lobbying for the Autism (Amendment) Bill before it was successfully passed in March 2022. You can download the Hansard reports below.