Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 194: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary schools now covered by the National Educational Psychological Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10996/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will 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), 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. The prioritisation of urgent cases for assessment is a matter for the school principal in the first instance.

In addition 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 127 at present. I have recently been pleased to announce an increase of 31 posts in 2007 in NEPS psychologist staffing. My Department is currently in discussions with the Public Appointments Service in an effort to recruiting these individuals as soon as possible in this regard. It is envisaged that these appointments will allow for further expansion of coverage by NEPS psychologists across all regions. Additionally under the Towards 2016 Agreement commitments I have further announced that NEPS psychologist numbers shall expand by an additional 35 posts in the following two years.

Most recent returns indicate that some 1,550 primary schools have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them representing some 47% of all primary schools and 58% of pupils.