Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 160: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of additional educational psychologists allocated in 2005 to national schools in County Kildare; and the number of national schools in County Kildare which still have no direct service. [20487/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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No additional educational psychologists have been assigned to national schools in County Kildare so far in 2005. At present, a total of 72 national schools in County Kildare do not have a National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, psychologist assigned to them. However, it is important to note that all schools in the county have access to psychological assessments, either directly through NEPS or, for those that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them, through the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, SCPA.

Under this scheme, schools can commission assessments from a member of the panel of private practitioners approved by NEPS and NEPS will pay the fees directly to the psychologists concerned. Details of this scheme, including the conditions that apply to it, are available on my Department's website.

NEPS also provides assistance to all schools that suffer from critical incidents, regardless of whether or not they have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them. Also, in respect of all schools, NEPS responds to queries regarding individual children from other sections and agencies of my Department.

On behalf of my Department, the Public Appointments Service has recently initiated a new recruitment competition for NEPS. Any increase in the number of psychologists in NEPS must take account of Government policy on public sector numbers.