Autism Bill (Money)

I beg to move,"That for the purposes of any Act resulting from the Autism Bill, it is expedient to authorise the payment out of money provided by Parliament of—""(1) any expenditure incurred under or by virtue of the Act by the Secretary of State, and""(2) any increase attributable to the Act in the sums payable under any other Act out of money so provided." On Second Reading, it was the will of the House that the Autism Bill should be discussed in Committee. The Bill, introduced by the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan), will have expenditure implications for the public purse. At the first sitting of the Committee last week, the Chairman confirmed that those implications are significant for certain clauses of the Bill. Therefore, approval for a money resolution is needed before the Committee can engage fully in those discussions. I want to stress that the Government, and I personally, share the hon. Lady's wish to improve services for people with autism, whether children or adults. Indeed, with the Under-Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth, North (Sarah McCarthy-Fry), I have made clear commitments to take forward a range of work that will achieve all the objectives claimed to be behind the Bill. We will take it forward in a way that is cost-effective and focused on improved outcomes for people with autism. Our determination to deliver real and lasting change for people with the condition is rock solid. Although there was a common aim on Second Reading, I was duty bound to make clear to the House the Government's view that the Bill, as currently drafted, is not the most effective way to achieve the improvements that we all want, and my view on that has not changed. Nevertheless, the establishment of the Committee to consider the Bill gives us a timely opportunity to discuss all the important issues that it raises. I am looking forward to doing so, confident that the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham and I will be able to move forward together in a true spirit of mutual interest and collaboration. To do that, however, we need to deal with the money resolution, without which the Committee will not be able to have the detailed discussion of the key clauses of the Bill. On that basis and no other, I commend the resolution to the House.