David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 44: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of assessments carried out under the National Educational Psychological Service in 2005; the number of assessments carried out under the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments in 2005; the cost of same; the budget for National Educational Psychological Service in 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19800/06]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 47: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to improve the availability of educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists or other support services to all schools throughout the country; if her attention has been drawn to the long waiting lists for such services at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20030/06]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 50: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of psychologists employed by the National Educational Psychological Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19854/06]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 70: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason only half of the children who need to be assessed are actually assessed by National Educational Psychological Service psychologists; the efforts which are being made to increase the numbers to ensure that students do not permanently fail to meet their potential; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19964/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 44, 47, 50 and 70 together.

First, I wish to point out that the provision of speech and language therapists and of occupational therapists is a matter for the Health Service Executive (HSE) and for my colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children.

All primary and post-primary schools 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 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. The prioritisation of urgent cases for assessment is a matter for the school principal in the first instance.

NEPS provides assistance to all schools and school communities that experience critical incidents, regardless of whether or not they have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them. Also, in relation to all schools, NEPS processes applications for Reasonable Accommodation in Certificate Examinations and responds to queries in relation to individual children from other sections of my Department and from the specialist agencies.

Since the establishment of the NEPS in 1999, the number of NEPS psychologists has increased from 43 to 122 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. The Public Appointments Service has 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.

Statistical data relating to assessments carried out by NEPS psychologists are maintained on a school year basis. Those data indicate that in the 2004/2005 school year, NEPS psychologists consulted with schools in a total of 5,986 cases. The total number of cases involving a full psychological assessment was 3,409. The balance in the number of cases included other forms of assessment such as testing of attainments, classroom observations, discussion with parents and teachers. Under the SCPA scheme that NEPS administers, 3467 children were assessed in the 2005 calendar year at a cost of €1,144,242 in direct fee payments to the psychologists concerned. Financial provision of €15.425 million has been made for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) in the 2006 Revised Estimates Volume provision for my Department. This represents an increase of 10% on the 2005 out-turn for NEPS.

In common with many other psychological services, NEPS encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention, in consultation with their assigned NEPS psychologist. Only if there is a failure to make reasonable progress in spite of the school's best efforts, will a child be referred for individual psychological assessment. This system allows the psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention. The General Allocation of resources to primary schools ensures that many children can receive additional teaching without the requirement of psychological assessment.

Children who manifest very special needs in school and who have not been previously assessed by a psychologist and are brought to the attention of a NEPS psychologist by the Principal teacher will normally be assessed by the psychologist within that school term.

Where schools consider that they have additional problems, they should contact the NEPS psychologist directly or make contact with the NEPS Regional Director for their region. Contact details are available on my Department's website.