Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I can inform the Deputy that three NEPS educational psychologists are assigned to Primary and Post-Primary Schools in Co. Kerry in the current academic year.

The Deputy will, of course, be aware that 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). 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.

I was pleased to announce recently in this connection my intention to expand the number of NEPS psychologists by a further 31 in 2007. At this time 6 of these psychologists are in the process of being appointed and officials of my Department will shortly engage in discussions with the Public Appointments Commission with a view to recruiting the remaining complement as expeditiously as possible within 2007. Decisions in relation to the actual placement of the extra psychologists will be made in the context of existing and developing priorities for the National Education Psychological Service.