Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 1280: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of NEPS psychologists currently employed by her Department in the mid-west region; the number to which the region is entitled; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25746/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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All schools in the mid-west region have access to psychological assessments for their pupils, either through the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, directly or through the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments. There are currently six NEPS psychologists employed in the mid-west region. The number of NEPS psychologists has increased almost threefold from 43 on establishment to 123 at present, including three NDA psychologists serving with NEPS and one psychologist currently serving with another section of my Department. This number does not include five psychologists on career break.

The NEPS development plan envisages a staff of 16 psychologists in the mid-western region at full development strength. On behalf of my Department, the Public Appointments Service recently conducted a recruitment competition for the appointment of educational psychologists to NEPS and the mid-western region has been prioritised for the filling of vacancies. Any increase in the number of psychologists in NEPS must take account of Government policy on public sector numbers.

Schools which do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, whereby the school can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly. Details of this process and the conditions that apply to the scheme appear upon the Department's website. NEPS also provides assistance to all schools which suffer from critical incidents, regardless of whether they have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them.