The Ministry of Justice is committed to making reasonable adjustments to accommodate a court user's needs in line with its duty under the Equality Act 2010 and has a number of steps in place to facilitate this:<\/p>
<\/p>
HM Courts and Tribunals (HMCTS) provides support to users of the courts and tribunals who have disabilities (including those with autism) in a variety of ways. Staff are able to make reasonable adjustments for customers when coming to court, including for example, auxiliary aids or help with completing forms.<\/p>
<\/p>
In addition HMCTS are working closely with NHS England on the Liaison and Diversion Programme. This aims to identify individuals as early as possible after they come into contact with the police and criminal justice system. They who aim to make sure that individuals have had their health needs and vulnerabilities (including the autistic spectrum) identified and assessed at the earliest possible stage, so they are referred to the right services to receive the help and support they need.<\/p>
<\/p>
In the criminal jurisdiction the CPS or defence can apply for special measures for victims, witnesses and defendants with disabilities. The appropriateness and specific nature of these measures would be decided upon by the Judge.<\/p>
<\/p>
Similarly, in civil, family and tribunal jurisdictions, parties can apply to the Judge to ask for additional support, which could for example include the provision of intermediaries and appropriate adults.<\/p>
<\/p>
A new Code of Practice for Victims of Crime was launched on 10th December 2013. The Code provides enhanced entitlements for vulnerable victims such as those who have a significant impairment. Special measures could include the use of communication aids such as alphabet boards or other assistance to victims if they have to give evidence in court.<\/p>
<\/p>
Judges are aware of the special measures available for disabled people. Guidance on fair treatment and equality issues, including general information on disability issues, is available to the judiciary in the Equal Treatment Bench Book and it is for the judge to consider the individual elements of each case. Additionally, the Judicial College regularly reviews its training materials to ensure that awareness of diversity and equality is given appropriate priority.<\/p>
<\/p>
Finally, the Ministry of Justice are signatories to the recent refresh of the Adult Autism Strategy \u201cThink Autism \u2013 Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives, the strategy for adults with autism in England: an update\u201d published April 2014.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/194", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Simon Hughes"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bermondsey and Old Southwark"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Simon Hughes"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-07-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-07-08T16:42:22.1990964Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-07-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Courts: Autism"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to support adults with autism who are involved with the courts.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3960", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Henry Smith"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Crawley"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Henry Smith"} ], "uin" : "203420"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 1, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }