Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 212: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if additional educational psychologists will be appointed to Kildare national schools in 2006; and the number of schools in County Kildare which have no direct service. [21429/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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All primary and post primary schools in Co Kildare 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.

In addition, NEPS provides a service to every school in the event of a critical incident regardless of whether the school already has a dedicated service from a NEPS psychologist. Also in relation to all schools, NEPS processes applications for Reasonable Accommodations in Certificate Examinations and responds to queries and requests for assessments 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. The Public Appointments Service 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.

According to the latest information, approximately 50% of schools in Co Kildare (64 schools out of a total number of 129) have access to a dedicated service from NEPS and this represents more than 65% of the student population. 65 (61 primary and 4 post-primary) schools do not have access to a dedicated service. Five NEPS psychologists (4.4 wholetime equivalents) are currently involved in servicing Co Kildare. Consideration will be given to the assignment of a further psychologist to national schools in Co Kildare when the current recruitment process has been completed.