Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 495: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the plans she has to address the shortfall of approximately 33% in the number of psychologists in the National Psychological Service; her views on the disadvantage at which children are placed by this shortfall in certain regions, such as the midwest, south and east of the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31030/06]

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 123 at present. The Public Appointments Service completed a recruitment competition for the appointment of Educational Psychologists to NEPS last year. Regional panels have been established to allow my Department give greater priority in filling vacancies to areas with the greatest need. To date, my Department has appointed seven (7) new psychologists, 4 of whom have been appointed to the Mid West region, two (2) to the Eastern region (south west area) and one (1) to the South East region. Four (4) psychologists have been assigned to the newly established National Behaviour Support Service and these four psychologists will be replaced by four additional appointments from the panel of the last competition. It is expected that additional psychologists will be appointed in the coming months.

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 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.