Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 524: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made in increasing the number of national education psychologists for the mid-west region; the number currently working in the region; the number of vacant posts in the region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13396/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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All schools in the mid-western region have access to psychological assessments for their pupils, either directly through my Department's National Educational Psychological Service, 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 directly the fees for this assessment. Details of this process and the conditions that apply to the scheme are available on my Department's website. 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 schools, NEPS processes applications for reasonable accommodations in certificate examinations.

The number of psychologists in NEPS has increased from 43 on establishment to 122 at present. The NEPS development plan drawn up in the year 2000 envisaged that up to 16 psychologists would be needed at full development strength to provide a psychological service to all schools in the mid-western region serving counties Limerick, Clare and Tipperary North Riding. Currently, there are five NEPS psychologists working in the mid-western region and 11 posts are vacant.

The Public Appointments Service recently concluded a new recruitment competition for the appointment of educational psychologists to NEPS and regional panels have been established to allow my Department give greater priority in filling vacancies to areas with the greatest need. My Department is currently in the process of recruiting additional psychologists from these panels and priority will be given to the mid-west region.