Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 514: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of educational psychologists employed in the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS; her views on whether this is sufficient to provide all primary school pupils with an adequate psychological service; the action she will take to employ additional educational psychologists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2858/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Since the establishment of NEPS in 1999, the number of NEPS psychologists has increased from 43 to 121 at present. Any increase in the number of psychologists in NEPS will depend on the availability of resources and must also take account of Government policy on public sector numbers. All primary and post-primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through NEPS or through the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, SCPA, full details of which are available on my Department's website.

In common with many other psychological services, NEPS operates a staged model of service to schools, whereby an initial referral usually leads to a consultation and provision of advice to teachers and parents on appropriate teaching and management strategies. Progress is kept under review and only those children who fail to respond to these interventions will need to see a psychologist. This allows the psychologists to offer early appointments to children in urgent need of support and early advice to teachers in respect to those children whose needs are perhaps less pressing but who still need additional help in school.

The system of assessment and provision for children with special educational needs is kept under constant review by my Department. We have introduced a general allocation model of additional resources to all primary schools for children in the "high incidence" category of special educational needs as set out in my Department's circular Sp Ed 02/05. This is expected to lead to a reduction in the number of referrals of children for psychological assessment for the purpose of accessing additional resources.

In general, I expect the establishment of the National Council for Special Educational Needs, NCSE, will result in the needs of children with special needs being met with greater speed and flexibility within the system.