Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 36: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of psychologists employed by the National Educational Psychological Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27571/05]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 89: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of psychologists employed by the National Educational Psychological Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27661/05]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 104: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the result of the recent recruitment competition conducted by the Public Appointments Service for educational psychologists; the way in which that was constrained by the limit on public sector numbers; the further way in which the current geographical imbalance in the location of educational psychologists was factored into the recruitment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27662/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 89 and 104 together.

The complement of psychologists in the NEPS has increased almost three-fold from 43 psychologists on establishment to 124 psychologists at present.

All schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, SCPA, whereby the schools can commission assessments from a member of the panel of private psychologists 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.

The NEPS also provides assistance to all schools that suffer from critical incidents, regardless of whether they have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them. Also, in relation to all post-primary schools, the NEPS processes applications for reasonable accommodations in certificate examinations.

On behalf of my Department, the Public Appointments Service recently completed a new recruitment competition for educational psychologists for the NEPS. Candidates were asked to indicate their preferences for regions so that appointments may be made on the basis of identified priority of need on a regional basis. In all, 41 psychologists have been placed on panels.

My Department has recently started the process of appointing eight psychologists from these panels. Four psychologists will be recruited for the mid-west region, covering counties Limerick, Clare and Tipperary, two psychologists will be recruited for the south western area of the eastern region, covering parts of Dublin West, Kildare and Wicklow and one each will be recruited for the north-west, covering Sligo, Donegal and Leitrim, and the south-east, covering Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Carlow.

Any increase in the number of psychologists in the NEPS must take account of Government policy on public sector numbers.