The first ever Prime Ministerial Debate was held on ITV on Thursday 15th April, at the Granada Television Studio in Manchester. Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg faced each other on television and debated a range of policies and issues. The ITV debate was moderated by Alastair Stewart.

The UK Autism Foundation welcomed the focus on Carers in the UK in the final question in the Leaders’ Debates. Recently UKAF was featured in Media Planet’s Autism Report published in the Sunday Telegraph of 4th April, to mark World Autism Awareness Day. Ivan Corea of UKAF spoke out about Carers stating that ‘Caring for autistic children is a major commitment and deserves recognition.’

Ivan Corea said: ‘As a parent and a carer and a father of a teenager with autism I welcome the rare moment of consensus when Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg paid tribute to Carers in the UK stating they were the Unsung Heroes and Heroines. They touched briefly on disability and UKAF had called for disability issues to be included in all three Prime Ministerial Debates on ITV, Sky and the BBC. Carers need help and support. Carers are spending over 70 hours a week looking after children and adults with autism and they receive a pitiful 75 pence an hour. The next Government needs to address the issue and bring in permanent increases in the disability living allowance, the Carers allowance, child benefit and tax credits. Autism is a 24 hour job and life can be very hard for parents, carers,children and adults with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome and we need more help.’

UKAF has also called for better public services in education, health, specialist speech therapy and respite care. Autism is a key education and health issue in the 2010 General Election and campaigners are calling for decisive action. UKAF has also called on the next Government to consider introducing state funded autism schools and state funded Autism Academies in the UK in order to encourage equality of opportunity. The charity also wants an autism strategy for children and an autism strategy for the elderly, maintaining they are the missing pieces in the autism jigsaw in the UK.

Adam Boulton will moderate the next Prime Ministerial Debate on 22nd April and David Dimbleby chairs the BBC debate on 29th April. UKAF urged the three leaders to talk about disability issues in the next two Leaders’ Debates on British Television.