Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 377: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of psychologists currently employed by the National Education Psychologist Service; the costs of increasing the number to 300; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16892/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Since the establishment of the NEPS in 1999, the number of NEPS psychologists has increased from 43 to 122 at present, with a financial provision of €15.425 million for 2006. The Public Appointments Service recently concluded a new recruitment competition for the appointment of Educational Psychologists to NEPS. 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 a further 9 psychologists.

All primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) that is administered by NEPS and full details of which are available on my Department's website.

It is estimated that the (full year) annual cost to my Department of increasing the number of NEPS psychologists to 300 would be an additional €18million approximately — this estimate is based on the financial out-turn for NEPS for 2005 and assumes the continuance of the current mix of staffing grades.