Joe O'Toole (Independent)

The service does not exist in some places and we should address the matter. There is another reason we should move it forward. An unintentional impression is created in the Bill that an educational psychologist carries out an assessment and is then off the scene. In most other European countries, for instance in the North and the rest of the UK, educational psychologists are also involved in the delivery of educational plans. This cannot be done at the moment here because psychologists in the NEPS are run off their feet doing assessments and never have time to get involved in the delivery of the plans and proposals which they develop. I know Senator Fitzgerald shares my views as we shouted for years for educational psychologists to be made available to schools. They are now coming in so let us make the best use of them.

As Minister, the Leader started that process many years ago. It has taken a long time for it to be put in place and has still not come to fruition. Successive Governments of all parties and shades have tried to move this forward. We are now close to at least being able to provide a full educational psychological service. That should be done and we should move to fill all the vacancies in the National Educational Psychological Service and ensure it is available to all. We must also extend the authority of schools to have assessments of children done privately by properly qualified professionals if they do not have access to the NEPS. Will school principals and school authorities be entitled to have an assessment done or will they be entitled to claim back the costs if it is done privately? This challenge will come up within a week of the Act being ratified. Judging by the correspondence I received on the matter, I assure the House that there will be a school that needs to assess a child but will not have access to the National Educational Psychological Service or be able to privately commission an assessment, which it should be entitled to do.