Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 768: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of assessments carried out under the National Educational Psychological Service in 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26458/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Data on the total number of assessments carried out by my Department's (National Educational Psychological Service) NEPS psychologists are collated on a school year basis. The most recent school year for which the data have been collated is 2004/2005 and the relevant number is 5,986. Not all assessments involved full cognitive IQ assessments.

In addition to the above number, in the 2005 calendar year, close on 3,500 assessments were carried out under 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. Under this scheme, 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.