Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 148: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason a project (details supplied) in Dublin 11 was closed; the alternative options which exist with regard to facilities offering educational assessments in view of this closure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7612/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I can inform the Deputy that the project, the subject of this parliamentary question, was a community-based day assessment service which offered an assessment service to young people from Finglas, Ballymun and surrounding areas. My Department, through the probation and welfare service, commenced funding the project on 1 January 2004, at an annual cost of €400,000. Prior to that date, funding was provided by the Department of Education and Science from the children at risk fund.

My Department agreed to commence funding the project on condition, inter alia, that the project would be a pilot for day centres, provided for under the Children Act 2001; referrals to the project would be from the courts; and the project would work to its full capacity, that is, five young people in attendance at any given time.

It was anticipated that this project would become a pilot day centre as provided for under the Children Act 2001. However, in order to meet the day centre requirement of the Children Act, a number of changes were required to the existing services being provided by the project. Unfortunately, I am informed that the project was unable to meet those requirements. I am further informed that since January 2004 until its closure in December 2005, the project only dealt with six referrals of young people who were before the courts.

I am advised that at a meeting held on 2 December 2005, the board of management concluded that the project was no longer viable and that the company would cease trading on 8 December 2005. I should also point out that the board of management of the project requested that the substantial funding which had been invested in the project by my Department be utilised in the future to provide alternative programmes for the same target group within the catchment area. I am glad to say that the probation and welfare service is currently in discussion with a locally based project regarding the provision of a service under the terms of the Children Act 2001.

I am also advised by the Department of Education and Science that all schools in Dublin 11 have access to educational psychological assessments for their pupils, either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, of the Department of Education and Science or through the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, SCPA, that is administered by NEPS. Vocational schools in that area have access to the psychological service provided by the City of Dublin VEC.

A small number of schools in Dublin 11 do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them. In those cases, schools 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 psychologists fees directly for this assessment. Details of this process and the conditions that apply to the scheme are available on that Department's website.

I am further advised that NEPS provides assistance to all school communities that experience critical incidents, regardless of whether or not they have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them. Also, in respect of all schools, NEPS processes applications for reasonable accommodation in certificate examinations for the State Examinations Commission.