Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Collins for the question. My Department is strongly committed to supporting the mental health of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health workforce and to support a range of clinical teams in our health services. My Department understands there is a long-standing arrangement in place under which the HSE and former health boards recruit trainee clinical psychologists and sponsor their training in order to encourage employment by the HSE of suitably qualified professionals. This arrangement is made by the HSE and is not the responsibility of my Department. It is a specific arrangement the HSE has in place to try to get suitably qualified professionals to work in the health service.

The question of whether similar arrangements should be put in place for other psychological specialties in order to meet their workforce needs is a matter for consideration by the appropriate recruiting bodies. Furthermore, my Department also understands that on the basis of the recommendations of the 2017 report of the psychology review implementation group, the HSE introduced revised eligibility criteria for recruitment to HSE psychologist positions involving a combination of the consideration of qualifications and placements for supervised work experience when determining a person's eligibility for employment.

My Department does not have a role in placement arrangements in organisations such as the National Educational Psychological Service or the HSE for students enrolled on these programmes. Issues arising from sponsorship and employment eligibility regarding psychologists and more generally are matters for relevant employers rather than the responsibility of my Department. In an effort to be helpful to the Deputy, I will certainly pursue this matter on her behalf with the HSE and the Department of Health, as I am sure she also will, which might be able to help further. I am more than happy to pursue the matter further.

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