Professor Laura Crane on being a House of Lords Specialist Adviser

Q: What is the purpose of the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Committee?

Each year, the House of Lords appoints four special inquiry committees that focus in depth on a topical issue. One of these committees is typically a post-legislative scrutiny committee, whereby the focus is on a particular law. In late 2024, members of the House of Lords proposed a committee to consider the Autism Act 2009. The committee was appointed in early 2025 and was required to publish their report no later than the end of November 2025.

The Autism Act 2009 was the first ever piece of disability-specific legislation in the UK. It’s a short Act – just four pages long – but its key function is requiring the government to publish a strategy to meet the needs of autistic adults. Sixteen years on, the House of Lords thought it was an opportune time to reflect on the Act, assessing its impact and determining the effectiveness of successive autism strategies. As the government’s current autism strategy runs from 2021-2026, the recommendations from the committee could feed directly into the next autism strategy.

The committee itself comprised a Chair (Baroness Kate Rock), and 11 other members of the House of Lords. The committee was supported by a small team of full-time staff, including a clerk, a policy analyst, and a committee operations officer.

Q: What is a Specialist Adviser and what led you to take on the role?

Each House of Lords committee can appoint a Specialist Adviser to support the committee’s work. The key role of the Specialist Adviser is to provide impartial expert advice to the committee and to the staff team.

I was initially contacted by the House of Lords in January 2025, with an invitation to speak with the staff team about the scope of the inquiry, key issues and potential witnesses. This was an hour-long, online conversation. I was subsequently invited to participate in a two-hour private seminar with the committee (in-person, in Westminster), where I was asked to deliver a short presentation on the committee’s inquiry (e.g., what has changed since the Autism Act, what key policy and implementation challenges exist now), as well as to take questions from committee members. Around the same time as the private seminar, I had an interview with the Chair of the committee, about the possibility of taking on the Specialist Adviser role. I was invited to take on this role at the end of February 2025 and my appointment ended as soon as the committee agreed its report (in November 2025).

Q: What does a day as a Specialist Adviser look like?

At the start of the committee’s work, my role centred around supporting oral evidence sessions, which happened every Monday afternoon in Westminster. In advance of the sessions, I would support the committee team in selecting witnesses and reviewing the briefing material that was prepared for committee members (i.e., a background to the topic we were focusing on, and suggested questions to pose to witnesses). On the day of the evidence sessions, I’d typically arrive in Westminster in the morning, where I’d have a briefing with the Chair and the committee team. After lunch, there would be one or two oral evidence sessions, most of which are available to view on the House of Lords website. Before and after the sessions, there would be a private discussion, where I would be asked to brief the committee; either on matters they may wish to explore in the oral evidence sessions, or around important matters that arose during the oral evidence sessions. I would also be on hand to answer questions from committee members.

After the summer recess, my role largely involved assisting with the drafting of the report. Specifically, I reviewed and commented on several drafts of the report, and I also supported with preparing some text for the final report. The committee then met on several occasions to discuss the draft reports, with a focus on the key recommendations. Again, I was on hand to answer questions and provide impartial advice.

Q: In a highlight reel of your time as a Specialist Adviser, which moments would be included?

It was exciting and rewarding seeing my advice taken on board and changes being made as a result. As one example, I spoke to the committee on several occasions about the importance of autistic people being meaningfully involved in the work of the committee. The staff team invited me to speak on this topic with the Clerk of Select Committees (Special Inquiries), and the committee team did an incredible job of making the process more accessible and inclusive than it typically was (with their efforts being commended in a recently published report by the House of Commons’ Modernisation Committee). It was also really encouraging to see the meaningful involvement of autistic people being emphasised so heavily in the final report.

Q: Were there any surprises during the process?

Before the Autism Act Committee was appointed, I’ll admit I knew very little about the House of Lords and how it operated. The thing that surprised me the most was the breadth and depth of expertise among committee members. We had some members of the committee who were real experts in autism, including members who were originally involved in proposing the Autism Act 2009, as well as those with personal and/or professional connections to the topic. We also had members with expertise in areas as varied as business, healthcare, social care and the justice system. All their insights and questions were astute and thought-provoking, and they brought so much knowledge and expertise to the process.

Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to be a Specialist Adviser, in terms of becoming one and excelling as one?

First, strong oral communication skills are essential. On our committee (and I’m sure many others), there were members with different levels of knowledge and expertise around the field of autism. As such, being able to communicate key concepts, debates and perspectives clearly and succinctly – in a way that was understandable for a diverse group of people – was really important.

Second, as the field of autism research and practice can be quite contentious, a really important skill was to be able to understand and appreciate all different viewpoints and to be able to give a balanced and impartial perspective. As a scientist, I felt it was very important to be guided by the evidence with my recommendations.

Third, House of Lords committees work quickly. I made sure I was aware of the ‘rhythm’ of the committee’s work, set aside ample time to review documents, and made sure I replied to communications promptly, ensuring all deadlines were met.

On a more personal note, I was likely a good fit for the Specialist Adviser role on this occasion as my research in autism spans a broad range of different areas, including, healthcare, education, employment, and criminal justice (i.e., all areas covered in the autism strategy!). Across all these areas, I knew the key players in the field, and I was aware of the latest developments. I’ve also been in the field for quite some time (over 20 years!), so I’d seen the Autism Act come into force, and could comment on the impact of several different autism strategies. The committee also had a real interest in the meaningful involvement of autistic people and others with lived experience, which is an area I have particular expertise in. I possibly wouldn’t have been the most suitable Specialist Adviser if the committee had a different emphasis or focus, even if it was centred on autism. However, I felt really honoured to be able to take on the role on this occasion – it really has been one of the highlights of my entire career.

Q: What impact has your role as a Specialist Adviser had on you?

Acting as Specialist Adviser to the committee has made me a much better academic. It has enabled me to better understand how research can influence policy, made me reflect on how I communicate my research to different audiences, and it has given me so many ideas for future research. I am eternally grateful for this incredible opportunity and am very proud of the resulting report. I really hope that the government take on board the committee’s crucially important recommendations.

The final outputs from the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 committee (including a report, a summary, a shorthand story, an Easy Read report and a video) can be accessed on the UK Parliament website.