MARTIN Docherty MP has pledged to improve understanding of autism by agreeing to raise issues affecting autistic people and their families in parliament.

The SNP MP joined a cross-party group this week during an award ceremony at the Speaker’s House, where the Houses of Parliament received the National Autistic Society’s prestigious Autism Friendly Award.

The award was given in recognition of the hard work and commitment of their Diversity and Inclusion team and colleagues in Visitor Services, the Serjeant at Arms office and ParliAble, to support autistic people and their families throughout their visit to Parliament.

Docherty said: “Parliament has led the way with this achievement, but we all need to make sure we are working to better support autistic people and their families in our local communities.”