Backbench Business Committee debate on autism
20 November 2012
On Tuesday 20 November 2012 MPs debated the subject of autism in the House of Commons. The debate was scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee following a representation from Mr Robert Buckland.
Watch the debate and read a transcript
Watch the debate on Parliament TV and read the views expressed by MPs in Commons Hansard. Mr Robert Buckland introduced this debate.
How the subject was selected
The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee following a representation by Mr Robert Buckland at the Committee’s public meeting on 30 October 2012.
Backbench Business Committee
The Backbench Business Committee meets weekly on Tuesdays at 3pm to consider requests for debates from any backbench Members of Parliament on any subject, including those raised in e-petitions or national campaigns.
An MP must make a representation before the Committee for an e-petition or petition to be debated; e-petitions exceeding the Government's 100,000 signature threshold are not automatically allocated backbench time.
The Committee then has to decide how to allocate the limited Parliamentary time it has at its disposal. The Committee's meetings are always conducted in public and can be watched on Parliament TV.