Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 197: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of private psychologists contracted by the National Educational Psychological Service in January 2007; the number of private psychologists on contract with the service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28947/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I would presume that the Deputies is alluding, in his reference to private psychologists, to those who participate in the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). This Scheme was established in 2001 to allow schools, who do not have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them, to commission individual psychological assessments from a panel of private psychologists set up by NEPS for this purpose. The scheme allows one assessment per 50 pupils enrolled in the school.

Access by private psychologists to the SCPA panel is moderated by NEPS who ensure that applicants are members of a relevant professional association, have experience in the individual assessment of children and have Garda clearance. A list of panellists and their contact details is provided on my Department's website for the information of schools concerned along with guidelines on the operation of the process and forms to be used in this regard. It is the school authority that engages the particular panellist.

Payment is made by NEPS to the psychologist in respect of assessments commissioned within the scheme upon receipt of certification of the satisfactory completion of the assessment signed by the school principal and the panel psychologist. As a matter of information, some 148 private psychologists were on the published panel for SCPA in January 2007. Currently, there are 144.