Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary schools covered by the National Educational Psychological Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25731/06]

Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 76: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of secondary schools covered by the National Educational Psychological Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25730/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 76 together.

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.

The most recent information indicates that 1611 out of 3282 primary schools (approximately 49% of schools and 59% of pupils) and 580 out of 749 post-primary schools (approximately 77% of schools and 79% of pupils) have a dedicated service either from NEPS or (in the case of 46 Dublin post-primary schools) from the Psychological Services of the City and County Dublin Vocational Education Committees (VECs).

The number of psychologists in NEPS has increased from 43 on establishment to 122 at present. 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. It is expected that a further 9 psychologists will be in place before the end of 2006.

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.

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.