Greens call for bill to support Disability, Autism and Neurodivergence
The Scottish Government must commit to a full Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill to tackle inequalities and guarantee pathways to support, the Scottish Greens have said.
The party’s Health and Equalities spokespeople have written to the Minister for Mental Wellbeing, Public Health, Sport, Alcohol and Drugs, Maree Todd MSP, seeking clarity over the Scottish Government’s plans for people with learning disabilities, autistic people and neurodivergent people, after the news that it would not be taking forward legislation.
The Greens have raised concerns about how improvements to support services will be measured, what outcomes the Scottish Government expects to achieve and what circumstances would lead Ministers to consider further statutory measures.
They have also highlighted concerns raised by affected communities over communication and transparency, particularly around fundamental rights and the structural changes needed across public services and wider society.
Scottish Greens Health spokesperson, Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill MSP said:
“People with learning disabilities, autistic people and neurodivergent people have waited far too long for the systemic change they have been promised.
“There is a lot of important work already underway, but we need to know how the Scottish Government will measure whether it is actually improving people’s lives and what happens if the current approach does not deliver.
“A full LDAN Bill would give us the opportunity to establish clear and consistent pathways to support across Scotland, and ensure that people’s rights are embedded in decision-making.”
Scottish Greens equalities spokesperson, Kate Nevens MSP said:
“People with lived experience have put an enormous amount of time, energy and trust into the work towards an LDAN Bill, and I am determined to not let that work just disappear.
“We need greater transparency from the Scottish Government about what happens next, how it intends to build on what has already been done, and how people with learning disabilities, autistic people and neurodivergent people, will all be involved in shaping the changes that affect them.
“We continue to believe that a full LDAN Bill is needed to provide a comprehensive national plan and a whole-system approach to confronting the inequalities and injustices that people continue to experience.”
TEXT OF LETTER
Dear Minister,
We are writing to you as Green spokespeople for Health and Equalities respectively regarding the Learning Disability, Autism & Neurodiversity.
Concerns have also been raised with us by affected communities about the need for improved communication and transparency, particularly on discussions about fundamental rights and structural changes needed to support across all areas of society.
We appreciate Miss Todd’s letter to the Health, Social Care & Sport Committee members dated 1st September 2026. We understand, as you note, that work is underway in a number of key areas and that future legislation may be under consideration if further statutory measures are required to achieve the outcomes that people expect and deserve.
However, we would be grateful to hear how improvements across the different areas of support and services will be measured, what the indicators would be of people achieving the outcomes that they expect and deserve, and what might provoke consideration of further statutory measures.
Ultimately, we believe that a full LDAN Bill is still necessary to ensure clear and consistent pathways to support across Scotland. A Bill would provide a comprehensive national plan and whole-system approach to addressing the ongoing inequalities and injustices faced by people with learning disabilities, autistic people and neurodivergent people.
We would be grateful to be provided with more information on exactly how the Government intends to deliver on these much needed changes, build on the work that has already happened towards the Bill, and ultimately improve support for people with learning disabilities, autism and neurodivergence.