Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of psychologists employed by the National Educational Psychological Service. [20527/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy may be aware that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly. I can inform the Deputy that my Department's NEPS service currently employ 178 educational psychologists (169 whole-time equivalents). Arrangements are in place currently, and at an advanced stage, to recruit 2 additional personnel and another individual is due shortly to return from a long-term absence.