Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

In the ten months to the end of October this year, there were 3,500 assessments. Bearing in mind the number of schools, the service providers try to deal with the issue we need to deal with, as identified correctly by Deputy Rabbitte. It was pointed out in the report and in the statements made by the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, this year, as will be clear to anyone who was listening to what he was saying, that the schools served directly by the educational psychologist programme comprise half the picture. We must remember all the other schools access assessments through the NEPS.

I am happy to report the number of psychologists has trebled in a very short period since we set up the service. There are 127 psychologists in the scheme, four assigned to national behaviour support services which are badly needed, six are being recruited and in addition we will increase the staff for the fifth time for next year. That will allow further expansion of the number of psychologists next year. The actual number of extra staff will be worked out shortly. As well as recruiting more psychologists in the educational psychologist system we have taken steps to reduce the need for assessments through the introduction of a general allocation model for providing resource teachers in primary schools. One in five of our teachers is a resource teacher, 8,000 work as assistants in our schools.

Since last year all schools have been allocated resource teaching hours, based on their enrolment figures to support children with a high incidence of special needs and learning difficulties, dyslexia and other issues. This means that the individual assessment is no longer needed in each and every case. That frees up the psychologists for children with low incidence needs such as autism, and allows more individual assessment. More than 600 additional teachers were put in place under the model introduced this year.

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