Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

It certainly will. With the extra 31 coming on board this year, we will be able to extend the direct coverage. There have been many tragic incidents in schools recently so it is important we do not ignore the service NEPS provides to all schools on such occasions. It plays a very valuable role and school principals very much appreciate it.

The Deputy also asked about the individual allocation in schools. Schools that have applied for further assessments in urgent cases were allowed to have them. A number of schools do not use their full allocation and others carry their allocation forward from one year to the next. Additional assessments have been allowed to schools based on the private scheme. For that reason I am anxious to find out what is behind the need for funding from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. I also want to know whether the funding in question was sought as a last resort or as a first resort, given that a teacher and a school are meant to follow a staged approach prior to a psychological assessment. Even though we have extended the number of NEPS psychologists and introduced a general allocation, meaning every school in the country now has resource teachers, the funding for privately commissioned assessments has increased. There is no question of any cutback in that regard.

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