Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 89: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of secondary schools covered by NEPS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5560/06]

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 141: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary schools covered by the NEPS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5559/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 141 together.

The number of National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, psychologists has increased from 43 on establishment to 121 at present. The Public Appointments Service has recently established new recruitment panels for NEPS. Regional panels are now in place and my Department is currently in the process of appointing ten new psychologists. Priority is being given to filling vacancies in areas of greatest need. 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 for their pupils, either directly through NEPS psychologists or through the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, SCPA, that is administered by NEPS. Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA, 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 are available on my Department's website.

As of February 2006, the NEPS service is now available to approximately 1,623 primary schools, representing approximately 50% of schools and 59% of pupils, and approximately 555 post-primary schools, representing 75% of those schools and pupils. This number does not include schools in the City and County of Dublin Vocational Education Committee schemes, which have their own psychological service.

NEPS provides assistance to all schools and school communities that experience critical incidents, regardless of whether they have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them. Also, in all schools NEPS processes applications for reasonable accommodation in certificate examinations and responds to queries regarding individual children from other sections of my Department and from the specialist agencies.