To ask the Minister of Health how many of the thirty five staff (seven per Health and Social Care Trust area) promised in the last mandate to reduce autism diagnosis waiting times; (i) have been recruited; (ii) are currently in post and working to reduce autism diagnosis waiting times; and when the remaining posts will be filled.

The additional £2m investment for children’s autism services announced earlier this year has been available to Trusts from 1 April 2016 and is currently being applied to address waiting list pressures, pending the finalisation of a new regional service model required to meet current and future demand. The exact details of this model, including the required skill mix in each Trust, will be agreed over the next few months.

In the meantime, some HSC Trusts have commenced the process of appointing staff on a temporary basis and the HSC Board has recently confirmed that Trusts can make permanent appointments provided they can be utilised in line with the new model, once finalised. As with all HSC posts, Trusts are required to follow a robust recruitment process for permanent staff and this can take up to 9 months to complete.

My Department has also taken action to ensure that Trust plans are focused on the need for sustained, demonstrable improvements in waiting times and services for children with autism and their families, and that the robust monitoring of those plans is being prioritised.