Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 536: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the amount spent on travel expenses on a county basis by staff in the National Educational Psychological Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24714/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is organised on a regional basis. At present, there are ten NEPS regions corresponding roughly to the former Health Board Regions with a Head Office based in Dublin. In the case of NEPS psychologists, travel (including subsistence) expenses, by staff member, are managed on a regional and national basis, and in the case of administrative staff in NEPS those expenses are managed on a national basis. Accordingly, the information sought is not available on a county basis. Summary details of NEPS travel expenditure by region and on a national basis in the 2005 financial year are provided in a table.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 537: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of psychologists employed by the National Educational Psychological Service; the number of other staff employed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24715/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Since the establishment of my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) in 1999, the number of psychologists in the NEPS has increased from 43 to 122 at present — this includes 3 psychologists from the former National Rehabilitation Board (NRB) assigned to work with NEPS and 1 psychologist serving with another Section in my Department. 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.

At present, 29 administrative staff are serving with NEPS. The above numbers of psychologists and administrative staff include staff in a number of posts filled on a work-sharing basis.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 538: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the average caseload of children of each psychologist in the National Educational Psychological Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24716/06]

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 539: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the average caseload of schools of each psychologist in the National Educational Psychological Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24717/06]

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 545: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the average number of schools each individual National Educational Psychological Service psychologist deals with; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24723/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 538, 539 and 545 together.

All primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through my Department's 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 common with 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 allows the psychologists to offer early appointments to children who are in urgent need of support and early advice to teachers in respect of those children whose needs may be less significant but who still need additional help in school.

Children who manifest very special or urgent 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 usually be assessed by the psychologist within that school term. Normally, principals of schools prioritise those children in need of psychological assessment in consultation with the assigned psychologist.

In the case of schools that do not currently have dedicated NEPS psychologists assigned to them, as I have already mentioned, such schools have access to educational psychological assessments through the SCPA. Under this Scheme, schools can commission assessments from a member of the panel of private practitioners approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the fees directly to the psychologist concerned.

The figures requested by the Deputy regarding numbers of schools assigned to psychologists in NEPS are as provided below. However, in the case of the caseload for psychologists, the numbers refer to named children only and do not take into account the frequent discussions between school staff and psychologists in regard to other pupils of concern in schools or to special needs in general. In some cases where a full cognitive assessment is not undertaken, there may nevertheless be a considerable time investment by the psychologist.

Schools: Psychologists are assigned to schools on the basis of total school population, the geographical distribution of schools and on the basis of a weighting given to schools designated as disadvantaged. Therefore, the number of schools allocated to a psychologist in a highly urbanised area will differ from the number of schools allocated where there is a wide dispersal of small schools. In that context, an average figure is not meaningful. In urbanised areas the range in the number of schools can vary typically from 15 schools to 20 schools. In a rural area the range will vary between 25 and 40. These figures do not take into account psychologists availing of work sharing schemes where the numbers of schools are allocated accordingly.

Caseload: Statistical data is 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. Interventions included forms of assessment such as, full cognitive assessments, testing of attainments, classroom observations, discussion with parents/ guardians and teachers, liaison with outside agencies and subsequent follow-up. The figures for 2005/2006 are not finalised at this time but they will be available in September 2006.

NEPS also 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. NEPS processes applications for Reasonable Accommodations in Certificate Examinations for all schools and responds to queries in relation to individual children from other sections of my Department and from the specialist agencies. NEPS also provides psychological services to schools for children with visual impairment and for children with hearing impairment.

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.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 540: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the breakdown of the National Educational Psychological Service on a county basis as a percentage of schools covered in each county; the number of private assessments granted in each county in schools not covered by NEPS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24718/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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), full details of which are available on my Department's website. 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.

The most recent information about NEPS coverage and private assessments (SCPA) by County as sought by the Deputy is detailed in the following tables.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 541: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of assessments carried out each year by the National Educational Psychological Service since its inception; the number of private assessments in the same period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24719/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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.

In common with many other psychological services, NEPS operates a staged model of service to schools, whereby an initial referral usually leads to a consultation and provision of advice to teachers and parents on appropriate teaching and management strategies. Progress is kept under review and only those children who fail to respond to these interventions will need to see a psychologist. This allows the psychologists to offer early appointments to children who are in urgent need of support and early advice to teachers in respect of those children whose needs are perhaps less pressing but who still need additional help in school.

The following is the total number of assessments, by school year, carried out by NEPS psychologists for the years in question: Not all assessments involved full cognitive IQ assessments.

1999/00 = 3,051

2000/01 = 2,978

2001/02 = 4,536

2002/03 = 4,837

2003/2004 = 5,024

2004/2005 = 5,986

In addition to these figures it should be noted that the number of children assessed under the SCPA scheme since its inception in 2001 to the end of the calendar year 2005 was in excess of 15,000.

In 2004, NEPS was also involved in a verification process of over 5,000 children for additional resources prior to the appointment of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and prior to the new general allocation model put in place for schools in the context of additional teaching resources.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 542: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of private assessments her Department has received each year for the past three years from schools or parents, which have been privately paid for and not paid for by the National Educational Psychological Service or her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24720/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Psychological assessments are required for a number of purposes. These assessments must accompany applications from schools to the National Council for Special Educational for special educational needs resources.

My Department does not hold data on the number of psychological assessments completed by private practitioners and which have been paid for privately.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 543: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the psychologists for her proposed behavioural units will be provided through the National Educational Psychological Service; when they will be in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24721/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is currently finalising the assignment of four psychologists to this new service. The psychologists concerned will be assigned early in the new school year. As a consequence, four additional psychologists will be appointed to NEPS from the current panel established following the recruitment competition of 2005.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 544: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the locations of staff in the National Educational Psychological Service; if these offices are owned, leased or rented; the costs of same per annum; if these offices are shared with any other agency or board; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24722/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The information sought in relation to the locations of staff in my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is in the form of a tabular statement that I propose to circulate with the official report. Procurement arrangements for office space for government departments, including leases, rents and the costs of same are the responsibility of the Office of Public Works; accordingly, information relating to those costs is not available in my Department. The general (non-pay) out-turn for NEPS in 2005, met from the 2005 financial provision to my Department, amounted to €2.4 million. This expenditure covered a wide range of running costs relating to NEPS as a national organisation, including the office network. Details of all expenditure incurred by NEPS in respect of each of the offices premises in question are not readily available from my Department's records.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 546: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the amount of funding given by her Department to the National Educational Psychological Service each year since its inception; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24724/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The financial outturn for my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) for each year since its establishment was: 1999, €1.3million; 2000, €3.6million; 2001, €6.2million; 2002, €11.1million; 2003, €13.4million; 2004, €13.4million; 2005, €14.0million.

The financial provision for 2006 for NEPS in my Department's Estimates is €15.425 million.